Stories of Growth
The team members and leaders at the heart of Village life are the keepers of the Schlegel Villages culture; they live our values in the service of residents and they drive the organization’s mission forward every day.
“In every neighbourhood of every Village, we see these wonderful, committed team members giving the best of themselves to others,” says Christy Parsons, Vice President of People with Schlegel Villages. “To meet the challenges and demands of the present and the future in terms of staffing our Villages with the best people that align with our values and our culture, we need to nurture our leaders from within.”
MaRhoda embodies the spirit of the Schlegel Villages value of hardworking and hands on.
She came to Canada from the Philippines and worked tirelessly to support her children as a single mother while training to first become a PSW and later, a nurse. She remembers seeing The Village of Aspen Lake under construction in Windsor and told herself she’d work there one day, and she began when the Village opened as a part-time PSW. With her nursing credentials, she eventually moved into a RAI coordinator role and today, she is the Assistant Director of Nursing Care at The Village at St. Clair.
Compassion is what St. Clair General Manager Dana Houle says MaRhoda offers to everyone she serves at the Village. “She has had so many different roles within the Villages that she can support the team the way that she would have wanted to be supported. She’s able to take that compassion and really dive in and work with the team.”
Deep, meaningful relationships with the team and the residents she serves is MaRhoda’s reward for her dedication and compassion, she says. Watching her develop those relationships and reduce any angst others might feel is something that Dana says inspires her to strive to be a better leader.
“Every leader at University Gates is homegrown,” Ion points out, whether through University Gates or one of the sister Villages.
Ion began his journey with Schlegel Villages as a Registered Practical Nurse in 2008 after an incredible journey from his homeland in Romania through the United States and into the Toronto area, where he began working at The Village of Humber Heights. He would come to learn about the Schlegel Villages values and aspirations while serving as a neighbourhood coordinator and eventually, a Director of Retirement Services.
In 2020, he joined the team in The Village at University Gates as Assistant General Manager when the new retirement suites opened, and the Village has been thriving since.
Chris-Anne Preston works closely alongside Ion as a Senior General Manager serving University Gates and several other Villages. She says Ion’s natural understanding of the concept of servant leadership stands out when she thinks of Ion’s dedication.
“He always has some really unique ways of coming at problems,” Chris-Anne says. “He thinks a lot about challenges and supporting our team and how to work through some of the things that might trip us up.
“He’s creative and innovative and he always puts others first.”
Like so many leadership team members within Schlegel Villages, Masud Moiz first stepped into The Village of Erin Meadows as a volunteer.
A natural people person, he spent his time engaging socially with residents in Long-term Care. He would later become a screener during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he eventually stepped into a role in the retirement neighbourhoods as a Village Experience Coordinator, which led him to his current role as a Director of Lifestyle Options.
“Masud’s greatest strength is his ability to just make someone’s day,” says Stephen Bungay, who supports Masud and the Erin Meadows team as a Regional Director of Lifestyle Options. “He just has a way to know your story and brighten your day . . . and in his current role, he spends his day helping people on their journey.”
The sense of belonging and community is what Masud says sets a Village apart from any other seniors living setting, and that’s what he values about the growth adventure he has been on at Erin Meadows.
Crystal says she’s never thought about hers as a story of growth, for she’s only ever found simple pleasure in the work she does in service of the team and residents at Fairview Nursing Home.
She had worked nights as a PSW before Fairview joined the Schlegel Villages family in 2015, and her kind heart and sense of servant leadership quickly became apparent to the Schlegel team as they came to know the Fairview Community. She was offered a position in Recreation as a supervisor, where she had the opportunity to learn from Julie Music, who was then Recreation Director but would soon venture to neighbouring Maynard Nursing Home as General Manager in the months following that home’s acquisition. Crystal was a logical choice for director when Julie moved.
“Crystal’s resilience in the face of a challenge is one of her greatest attributes”, says Saurabh Bhatnagar, General Manager at Fairview.
“Her ability to multitask, her ability to gather all her strengths and resources in spite of everything that is thrown at her, not only in the Village but at home, and her ability to positively impact that is priceless,” says Saurabh.
She’s humble as she reflects on her growth journey, and says the fact that she can “unapologetically be myself” when she’s at work is a great comfort. There are no facades or work personalities, she says; just genuine authentic people in service of others, and that is the true gift of life with her team and the residents at Fairview.
“I didn’t have to change to be a leader,” Crystal says.
“It took me almost 50 years to find my true passion,” Brian says, “and it was health care.”
While Brian was working in different aspects of environmental services at The Village of Wentworth Heights, he always observed the PSW team members with admiration, and says he was determined to take on that role some day.
Sara Calder, Assistant General Manager at The Village of Wentworth Heights, says Brian’s personality attracts everyone, “but what I gravitate most to is his passion for the people he works with, for his family. He wants everybody to find joy and be happy at the Village.”
Brian says he sees endless opportunities for team members to learn and grow within the Village and from working full time nights as a PSW to being a dedicated soul in the laundry hub, which Sara says is critical to all elements of Village Life, Brian continues to serve with distinction.
“I feel super proud to work for the only organization in terms long-term care and retirement that I know of that hires kinesiologists to support the residents, to support the Villages,” Christine says. “I just feel so proud to represent my profession as well as the role we play in the villages.”
The question isn’t “can we do it?” when it comes to Christine Hames. It’s “how can we do it?” Her friend and mentor, Jaimie Killingbeck, says Christine’s passion for enhancing the lives of others is the greatest strength she carries along a path at Schlegel Villages that began in 2011.
Christine was hired as the kinesiologist at The Village of Riverside Glen before moving into the same position at University Gates when the Village opened in 2016. She eventually moved into a leadership position as the Director of Environmental Services, where she thought she would remain. An opportunity to lead the organization’s Program for Active Living arose in 2019, however, and she has been in that role at Support Office as a director ever since.
Kinesiology wasn’t a well-known profession when she graduated and Christine admits she didn’t know where her degree would lead her, but she is proud of where she has landed.
“I’m proud to work at Schlegel Villages because it’s an organization that really cares about its employees and residents,” Champa says, noting that she has always been treated with respect and dignity and her voice has always been heard.
“Champa is really authentic in building relationships, and I believe that is her greatest strength,” says Jefferdie Fiesta, the Director of Quality and Innovation at Erin Mills Lodge. Jefferdie first met Champa when she started at the small home in food services, and he watched her grow through training as a PSW and her development into a neighbourhood coordinator.
Her dedication and her ability to connect with everyone she meets earned her a Schlegel Villages Success Award under the Credo Know Me, and that same dedication prompted leaders to inspire her to continue to grow her career path.
“It’s a bit unbelievable to me as to how much I could grow, both in my career and as a person, in a short period of time,” Champa says. “I’m very grateful to Schlegel Villages for providing me with all these opportunities that made me successful. I honestly could not be happier.”
Champa carries a Positive, Can-do attitude with her always, Jefferdie points out, noting that she came to Canada with a temporary work visa and was eager to work hard and earn her permanent residency. She was a light of positivity during challenging times under COVID-19, and she never wavered.
“This story has been one of the most interesting, joyful and endearing journeys of my life,” says Saurabh Bhatnagar,” the General Manager at Toronto’s Fairview Nursing Home. His journey began at The Village of Humber Heights as a hospitality supervisor and led to many other leadership roles before landing him in his current position.
“Regardless of what team he serves, they willingly follow him because of his ability to create a level of trust,” says Rose Lamb, Senior Vice-President of Operations with Schlegel Villages and a long-time mentor of Saurabh’s. “He shows them compassion, he instills hope.”
When considering the pride he feels in his work with Schlegel Villages, Saurabh thinks of an Indian poet who once said: ‘Where my head is held high and my mind is without fear . . . let my country awake.’
“Every day when I come into work, my head is held high,” Saurabh says, “and my mind is without fear because I know I have the support of a fantastic organization behind me. We are part of a family.”
That sense of belonging, he adds, “is irreplaceable. It is coursing through my veins every time I step into work. This is my home.”
Rose says Saurabh offers the same sense of comfort for those around him, as he never wavers in his ability to recognize when someone may need a little extra help at their back, and he’s always there when needed.
“I feel that with the experience I was able to gain as a front-line team member, it really set the path for my success when I entered into a leadership role,” Laurie says. “I also find it meaningful that we’re encouraged to foster relationships with our team members, our residents and family members.”
When her beloved grandmother could no longer safely live on her own, Laurie Dovidio began helping her look for an appropriate retirement home. She learned quickly that this isn’t always an easy process.
Laurie had excelled in three different roles at the Village of Tansley Woods in both Long-term Care and Retirement, so she had a deep understanding of the operations behind Village Life. Based on her grandmother’s experience, however, she knew she wanted to be in a role that could make the process easier for others in similar situations to help alleviate the stress and worry her family had experienced.
In 2022, she began helping guide families and prospective residents through this process as a Director of Lifestyle Options at Tansley Woods. “Laurie is the most genuine and empathetic person that you could come across,” says the Village’s General Manager, Jo-Anna Gurd. “Not only does she become a friend but she just has that loyalty and that ability to inspire others to be more like her.”
Laurie credits the leaders who supported her over 15 years with her success, humbly acknowledging their influence. She says upon reflection that she was surprised by how quickly she could grow her career with Schlegel Villages.
Genuine and Humble is the organizational value many would use to describe her and, in typical fashion, Donna says she’s surprised by the faith shown by those who have encouraged her over the years. It is no surprise for anyone who knows her, however, for her commitment to the residents and team members she serves is apparent in every action she takes.
Donna began her life as a nurse in a hospital setting, and she had never before stepped foot in a long-term care home. That changed in 2005 when she began her story of growth with Schlegel Villages at Mississauga’s Village of Erin Meadows. A friend mentioned Donna should apply to the Village and she began in a part time capacity before an opportunity arose as an Interim Assistant Director of Nursing Care at neighbouring Erin Mills Lodge.
“That was my very first role in a leadership capacity,” Donna says. “I had some really great mentors and co-leaders, that supported that journey when I was in that role.”
Within a year, her leadership capacity, her compassion and her steadfast approach to supporting the residents and team members led to the position of General Manager.
“Donna’s greatest strength is definitely her empathy,” says Anneliese Kreuger, who has been one of many mentors to watch Donna’s strengths flourish over the years. “I love to watch how she pays attention to all the details when somebody new comes into the Village, whether it’s a resident, team member or a new leader that’s starting.
“She wants to know their story and empathize with where they’re coming from and make sure that experience is really special for them.”