This Years Winners
Activity Professionals of North Dakota is proud to announce the winners of this years awards!
Activity Professional of the Year
The Activity Professional of the Year Award goes to Jane Schoonover! Jane has been the activity director at Gackle Care Center since 2016. She is currently serving her 4th year on the APND board as area 1 representative. She is a great asset to the APND organization. She plans and organizes area workshops for continuing education for activity professionals. She also is highly involved in her community. She has been president of the senior center since 2014, she is involved in the local food pantry, local auxiliary secretary, church council deacon and the District Auxiliary Vice President/Secretary. Jane knows how important activities are for the well-being of residents so that is why she serves on the Activity Professionals of North Dakota Board.
Jane is a top-flight caregiver whose profession goal each day is to make her special family her number one priority.
This is what her administrator, Kimberly Schlecht has to say about Jane:
Each work day Jane surpasses my expectations with her involvement to keep our community healthy and growing. On a daily basis she is seeking new ways to enrich each of our resident’s lives. Even with ND winters and forecasted inclement weather, Jane travels in advance and packs a bag for the duration. Our residents love “snow days” because they have Jane camping out, making popcorn, playing games and laughing. She has them smiling from ear to ear. She interacts so well with others and has built trust and loyalty within the Gackle Care Center. She is the most unselfish person I know. When we need a lending hand in another dept. Jane is always right there to help out whenever and wherever. Jane will take residents to appointments, shopping trips and family reunions. When there is a need, she is the one I can always count on. Her skills and success with fundraising for our Activity Dept. are exceptional. She hosts and annual Mother’s Day Tea on the Saturday before Mother’s Day. She serves on the fancy china and serves delectable scones and tea sandwiches. A fall bake sale featuring homemade blachinda and pies of all sorts. Family and Friends day with silent auction baskets and a bake sale in December of each year featuring a large variety of German kuchens. She is like the energizer bunny. She keeps going and going….
Others from her community state that Jane will listen and talk with residents, family staff and community people for any concerns or ides for her dept. to make a better change. She has a lot of support from co-workers, family and people in our community.
Some days can be hard and challenging, but Jane just keeps on trying and gives her best for each resident.
Jane has a big heart and loves her job by doing her best each day for the residents. Jane loves to give and see smiles on the faces of each resident. She makes sure they are honored on their birthdays with a special cake.
Jane provides the spark that stokes the flame of their ambition, making Gackle Care Center a loving home for them all!
Activity of the Year
This year's Activity of the Year award goes to Good Shepherd Home at the McKenzie County Healthcare System in Watford City. Every year our residents participate in our town’s Homecoming activities. We invite the Homecoming Court, Pep Band, Cheerleaders, Football Team, Volleyball Team and school faculty members from our local High School to our facility for a fun Homecoming pep rally. Our residents even get to participate by being in the parade by riding on our facility’s bus. Our residents prepare for the week by making fun signs to hang on our bus during the Homecoming parade, and during this time we were able to visit with our residents about their past Homecoming experiences. Most of our residents are local to this area so Homecoming is still a very big deal to them. This year was even more extra special for us because Homecoming fell on one of our resident’s 103rd Birthdays. In talking with the Student Counsel advisor from the High School we wanted to make her day something she would never forget. They asked if she would be the Grand Marshal of this year’s Homecoming Parade, we found out that she was now the oldest living Watford City High School graduate, which added even more meaning to the day. We started our afternoon with the fun pep rally that involved all of our staff and residents. We all gathered in our dining room and listened to the pep band play and the cheerleaders perform, while the football team, Homecoming candidates and the volleyball team all greeted our residents. When the pep band began playing the school song the room erupted with clapping and cheering and every one of our residents had a huge smile on their face. Before leaving for the parade the whole room joined in singing Happy Birthday to our birthday girl. After the pep rally our residents led by our Grand Marshall led the Homecoming parade down main street. Those residents who were unable to ride on the bus lined our outside sidewalk and watched the parade go right by our facility. We are lucky to have a great partnership with our school district and our residents love getting to remain connected to our community.
Winners of this years scholarships
This years scholarship winners:
Nanette Hoeger - Area 3
Krista Baytosh - Area 1
They will each receive $100 to use toward containing education.