Honor: 7 Teachings on a Life Well-Lived from Senator Nancy Brataas and Her Daughter Anne
Anne Brataas is the daughter of pioneering Minnesota State Senator and leader Nancy Brataas. Sen. Brataas, who was the first female Minnesota state legislator elected in her own right, died last week in hospice care. For a wonderful example of "honor," we share with you her daughter's tribute entitled: As she died, Sen. Nancy Brataas posed a final question: 'Unconventional?' that was published today at MinnPost.com.
Ecumen Job Openings Now on Twitter
Ecumen’s Human Resources Department recently launched the new @Ecumen_Jobs Twitter account that highlights open positions in the company’s 37 cities in Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Idaho and Tennessee. As one of the top 20 nonprofit senior services providers in the nation, Ecumen offers a wide variety of jobs along numerous career paths to more than 4,000 employees.
Positions include an array of opportunities in direct health care, such as nursing and other caregiving and therapy jobs, as well as positions in sales and marketing, accounting, human resources, social services, IT, housing management, building maintenance and housekeeping, food and dining services, and administrative support.
Jobseekers can apply online for Ecumen jobs at http://careers.ecumen.org/jobs/.
Ecumen’s Corporate HR Team Takes Big Lessons From an Afternoon at Feed My Starving Children
By Camille Gross, Ecumen E-Learning and Training Coordinator
Ecumen’s mission primarily focuses on serving older adults, but it’s great to be part of an organization that encourages us to serve all ages.
Last week the Ecumen corporate Human Resources team went on a volunteer outing to Feed My Starving Children’s site in Coon Rapids, Minn. We quickly learned how much of a difference just a little help can make in the lives of others.
We packed food shipments to Jamaica and had an experience far more enlightening than we expected.
It’s incredible to think that a few hours of volunteer work could have such an impact. Over the course of a half day’s work, we were able to pack 47 boxes of food. With each box containing 216 meals, we were able to pack over 10,000 meals. We were told that our efforts were enough to feed 166 children for an entire year. Plus we got to wear cute hairnets and taste the food.
Also, the experience brought us closer as a team. Packing food in an assembly line process, the nine people in our group became more comfortable as a team and felt a drive to become better – together. To ensure the success of the overall purpose, we had to rely on one another.
Some of us measured out the food — dried rice, soy and vegetables, along with vitamins. Others weighed and sealed packages. Others packed boxes. We quickly found ourselves in competition with other groups of volunteers — trying to see who could pack the most boxes.
It was a fun atmosphere, but we were focused on the job and driven to work as efficiently as we could. At the time we probably didn’t realize it, but looking back, this is how our department must operate every day in order to succeed. We must strive towards the same goals and trust each other to support Ecumen employees in the best way we can.
Ecumen encourages employees to collaborate and provide excellent service to the people and communities we serve— and also to volunteer outside the company to help the community at large. We got a first-hand lesson in why that is such a good idea. Here’s the bottom line on our afternoon of volunteering:
- Boxes of food packaged= 47.
- Children fed for one year=166.
- Experiencing the value of service= Priceless.