Archive | SC Interviews RSS feed for this section

Andrea in front of the Dearborn Heights Co-op sign.

Joie de vivre: Joy/happiness is derived from life.

Andrea joined the Hannan family on April 23, 2012 and has settled into working the Dearborn Heights Corporative. Andrea is no stranger to social work. After receiving her Bachelors in Communications and Theater Arts at Eastern Michigan University in Communications/Theatre Arts in 1991, she pressed on as a VISTA worker for two years. As a VISTA, Andrea was an advocate for adult literacy at Washtenaw Literacy, an adult literacy program. She worked in the community promoting the services of Washtenaw Literacy and taught ESL classes. A geriatric scholar with a focus in community organizing and social policy, she received her MUP and a MSW from the University of Michigan. Her passion in “housing” is clearly represented in her past employments such as Realtor and Insurance Agent. Yet the driving force behind her interest in Housing Development was in large part due to her positions as a “Housing Coordinator” while working for the Senior Alliance, DAAA, AOA and the Washtenaw Homebuyers (non profit) organization.  While working with low income housing, Andrea came to know the many barriers residents face in getting affordable housing. Andrea’s interest as a housing agent for HUD properties took on a new direction in the welfare of seniors and this placed her with PVM during her MSW internship. It was then when she came to know Rachel.

Although housing development and one day writing a HUD Grant is on the top of Andreas interest list, she, herself has many interesting and creative layers.

Andrea’s interest in people stems into her hobby of reading. She favors and brings a light to the debut novel, The God of Small Things (1997). The book is written by an Indian writer Suzanna Arundhati Roy and describes how the small things in life affect people’s behavior and their lives. At a very young age, Andrea was exposed to British television. This is something her mother shared with her. CBC, PBS Master Piece Theater shows one of Andrea’s favorite TV dramas, “Coronation Street”. Having exposure to European entertainment, it is no wonder one of Andrea’s favorite quotes “I’d rather be strongly wrong, than weakly right” comes from the most popular actress, Tallulah Bankhead, of London’s famed West End, the British equivalent of Broadway. Andrea’s was also exposed to other cultures through her traveling. She has ventured to Paris France, Mexico and Canada, with Montreal Canada being her favorite to visit. Andrea’s favorite eat-out foods are Indian and Mexican at Taqueria Mi-Pueblo’s in Southeast Detroit.

Andrea was grounded an inspired by Dina Harris, founder of the Washtenaw Home Buyers Program, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dina has been an inspiration to Andrea. The Home Buyers program is designed to help people who want to buy a home but needed help in accomplishing this. Andrea used words like ambitious, compassionate and committed to describe Dina. Interestingly, the very same words I would used to describe Andrea.  Thank you Andrea.

Written by: Monika George

Camille is the service coordinator at the Village of Peace Manor, located in ClintonTownship, where she has been employed since September 2004. She obtained her Bachelors degree in Sociology from WayneStateUniversity, then attended CentralMichiganUniversity, where she achieved a Masters in Business Management. She worked for the Social Security Administration for ten years as a Disability Examiner. Working as a Disability Examiner, she gained invaluable experience in the medical field with intensive medical training. While working at the Social Security office she enjoyed problem solving and working with the aging population. From this job she grew to love working with seniors, which sparked an interest to learn more about the population. Camille decided to leave the Social Security office and return to school.

Camille decided to attend MadonnaUniversity, in Livonia, Michigan, to study gerontology, where she received her Associates Degree. Madonna was a great place for Camille’s career. The school has a great gerontology department with a wonderful faculty. The faculty and Staff at Madonna influenced Camille’s career choice to become a service coordinator. The individuals most influential to Camille’s career were Dr. Anita Herman, the head of the gerontology program, and Marilyn Goering, a counselor and adjunct professor. These professors challenged and help cultivate the talents Camille currently possessed before entering the program. While at Madonna, Camille received a Nursing Home Administrator license from the State of Michigan.

After Madonna, Camille gained experience as a service coordinator at the National Church Residences senior housing in Harper Woods, for four years, before working at PVM. Camille’s belief in the saying, “There but for the Grace of God, Go I,” has guided her life thus far. She is very passionate about the senior community, and has devoted herself to helping the community. She loves to advocate for seniors to organizations and private companies to promote affordable assisted living in the community.

When Camille is not working at her PVM village or advocating for affordable senior housing, she loves volunteering with animals, reading, walking, and loves to travel. She really enjoys traveling overseas, her favorite places to visit are Europe, England, and Hawaii.

Crystal Holly is the service coordinator at the Village of Our Saviour’s Manor, located in Westland Michigan. She has always had a passion of the elderly population since she was a little girl. Crystal considers herself an old soul, a person who is beyond their time. During her high school years she spent a lot of time with her grandmother, while other individuals her age where outside playing with each other. Crystal attended Crockett Career and Technical Center (CCTC), in addition to high school, where she became a licensed certified nursing assistant. While at CCTC she did her practicum hours at the Ford VA hospital and Friendship Manor, a nursing home located in Detroit, where she grew to love working with the elderly population.

Crystal attended Madonna University in Livonia, Michigan where she attained her B.S in Gerontology, and a specialty in case management and dementia studies. She is also trained in activities therapy, which engages the individual in creative endeavors that help to alter the thought processes of the participant in a positive manner. During her years at Madonna she acquired over 1900 volunteer hours, which were comprised of work at her internship, lobbying, policy making outreach, and community outreach, just to name a few. Crystal is committed to the gerontology field, even when she is not being compensated for her time.

Crystal is currently taking graduate classes at Cappella University, in education leadership, to acclimate herself into school. She also wants to make sure her next educational steps are the best way for her to contribute to the gerontology field.

Before starting her career as a PVM Service Coordinator, Crystal worked at the Brookfield Clinic, the Center for Counseling at Garden City Hospital, where she did mental health intake. Crystal has much experience working with the elderly population and creating programs. She started her career at PVM at Westland as the activities coordinator, for the dementia and assisted living building. She planned programs, did activities-based therapy, and created a better foundation for the dementia program at the Westland building. She also established an intergenerational program with students form the Wayne and Westland school district. The program consisted of the students interacting with the residents to break intergenerational gaps. Crystal stated, “The Village of Westland loved this program because their grandchildren could participate if they lived in the district.”

Her career in aging has been shaped by her undergraduate career at Madonna University. Crystal says, “Dr. Anita Herman

was a great professional mentor,” Dr. Herman taught Crystal to nurture what and how she can contribute to the field, no matter how hard, and she always encouraged her to do what she wanted in the field. Crystal has taken this advice and used it to shape her career, and has become a great asset to the field. At her building she would like to have community resident/ clients focus on heart care, and help seniors understand that to live well is to age successfully, which includes taking care of yourself, loving one another, and taking care of your community.

Renee was hired in April of 2012 and is positioned at the Flat Rock Towers Co-op, in Flat Rock, MI. Renee received her Bachelor’s in Journalism/Public Relations from Madonna University in 2004. She pressed on at Wayne State earning her MSW in 2011. Some of her special job experiences – Renee worked as a reporter covering city government, schools and crime from 2004-2006 for the Mirror Newspaper. Her work has been published in Crain’s Detroit Business, The News Herald, The Oakland Press, The Northville Record/Novi News, and Metro Parent Magazine. Currently Renee works as a “stringer” for the Associated Press gathering election results from the City of River Rouge on election nights. Renee worked for Kroger for 11 years. She worked as a “service director” essentially performing human resource functions such as hiring, training new hires, and payroll at the Kroger in Taylor for one year.

Renee holds a Limited Licensed Master Social Worker

Renee’s hobbies and interest include: Study of Tarot cards and frequents local Metro Parks.

Renee’s favorite book: Martin Eden is a (1909) novel by American author Jack London. This book is about an illiterate sailor who becomes aware of his social class after falling in love with an aristocrat. After educating himself and becoming a renowned writer, Martin Eden becomes less than dazzled with the love interest that inspired him. This was Renee’s grandfather’s favorite book.

An important factor impacting Renee’s choice in becoming a service coordinator was the Hannan Foundation. This was her first field placement as an MSW student. She learned about the service coordination through this experience. She stayed in touch with her field supervisor, Cheryl Bukoff, and stayed in touch with Hannan staff by creating a (short-lived) e-newsletter.

Written by: Monika George

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” This is Wylene Jones’ favorite quote by Martin Luther King Jr., which represents her passion for her job extremely well. Wylene is the service coordinator at the PVM Village of Oakman Manor, where she works part-time two days a week. She has worked with PVM and this village for four years, where the seniors feel like her extended family and she believes they feel the same way about her. She stated, “It has truly been the best job I have ever had and the most fulfilling.”

Wylene has not always been a service coordinator; she attended Wayne State University and received 2 degrees, a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology/ French/Psychology and a law degree, Juris Doctorate.  She also attended the University of Michigan where she received her Master’s in Social Work. Wylene is a Licensed Master level social worker by the State of Michigan and a certified mental health screener for children and adults.  Before becoming a PVM service coordinator, Wylene worked in the Third Judicial Circuit Court for 30 years, in every department form child abuse and neglect to delinquency. At the beginning of her career she worked with children because she felt they were “helpless”, and now she has moved to the opposite end of the spectrum working with seniors. While working in this field,  she has run into the same types of issues when working with children. Wylene’s work with the senior population has really given her a “new and fresh” perspective on life, as she is also aging. She tries to live the way she wants the seniors to live—to live the best life possible for as long as possible. Wylene is a huge advocate of healthy lifestyle choices, which she promotes at her village through different health workshops and programs. These events consist of morning walks, trips to the museum, symphony and other cultural and wellness activities.

When Wylene is not working at her PVM village, she enjoys playing the piano, studying French language and culture, volunteering with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, reading, and being a member of the Alliance Francaise of Grosse Pointe.

Wylene believes in lifelong learning for all age groups, she aspires to go back to school and attain her PhD in Education.  She wants to write education materials to inspire minority students to do better in school. Her first love was to be a teacher, and she has not steered away form that love, she loves working with interns because she is able to be a teacher to them. Wylene is very invested in the lives of her interns, and remains in contact with them once they leave her supervision. Wylene has a loving and pure spirit that can be seen through her interactions with her staff and residents.  Wylene learns from everyone she comes in contact with.

Wylene is inspired by her oldest resident at the village, who is 97 years old, Wylene says, “she is simiply magnificent, and has a positive attitude about life. She sees the glass as half full, not half empty.” This is what Wylene aspires to be, a person who always looks at life as half full.