On Tuesday, October 24, Kaiser Permanente employees could be seen stamping their feet, snapping their fingers or in some cases dancing to the beat of their favorite tunes, as many celebrated their 20,25,30,35 and 40-year service anniversary with the organization.
There were plenty of smiles, lots of laughter, selfies and group photos as employees were congratulated by their managers, colleagues, event volunteers, and executives. It was easy to see who was celebrating what milestone service year, as honorees were seated at color-themed tables and wore colors to indicate their various years of service – gold for 40, silver for 35, green for 30, blue for 25, and red for 20.
Many KP executives and supervisors also attended the dinner event, which was hosted by DeLinda Washington, vice president, Human Resources, and Frank Titus, vice president, Consumer Experience and Health Plan Service. Much of the evening’s dialogue took attendees back to the major events of the years when the honorees first joined Kaiser Permanente – 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, and 1997. In addition, music kept the energy high with dance medleys from each year performed by the University of Maryland dance crew.
Kim Horn, Health Plan president, thanked the honorees for their many years of dedicated service, noting that KPMAS couldn’t have accomplished such great achievements without their loyalty and hard work.
In addition to DeLinda, Frank, and Kim, several executives joined in the celebration and introduced the different years’ segments and honorees. Here are some of the highlights:
- DeLinda Washington, vice president of Human Resources and, Mark Ruszczyk, vice president of marketing, sales, and business development, poked fun at how employees applied for jobs in 1982. They talked about the process included finding a job in the classifieds to mailing the application, and sending a hand written thank you note;
- Jill Feldon, vice president of marketing, communications and community relations, and Wayne Wilson, vice president of Government Programs and external relations, took us back to 1992 with some fun facts from the year, including the price of a Super Bowl ad being $850,000, 60 Minutes was the most watched show, and in his best Jack Nicholson impersonation Wayne did one of the most remembered movie quotes of the year, “You can’t handle the truth!”
- Joe Butz, chief operating officer and vice president of delivery system operations, used a basketball as a prop to describe the time in 1987, when he met one of the greatest basketball players of all times, Larry Bird.
- Joan Gelrud, vice president of quality, regulatory, and risk management, recalled the heroic rescue of young Jessica McClure from a well in Midland, Texas. The rescue was aired on national television in 1987;
- Linda Larch, vice president and regional compliance officer, and Frank Titus, vice president of Consumer Experience and Health Plan Service shared what they were doing in 1977. Linda was enjoying disco and Frank was a boy scout.
- Frank and DeLinda rounded out the evening by highlighting 1997 events. In 1997 Kaiser Permanente began its Labor Management Partnership. And the year that 128 employees joined the Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic team.
While everyone enjoyed the dance performance, music, and fun facts, the most important part of the night was honoring the awardees. Linda and Frank had the honor of celebrating Lucinda ‘Cindy’ Stanton, the 40-year awardee. Linda shared some highlights from a congratulatory letter written by Cindy’s manager, Donna Calimlim, referencing Cindy’s selfless dedication to the Provider Scheduling department.
Appreciative of the recognition, Cindy expressed how it was possible for her to achieve a 40-year career with Kaiser Permanente.
“Kaiser Permanente is like family to me. As I’ve worked to support the organization, they have seen me go through some rough times, for instance losing my loved ones and the organization has also shared in my joys,” said Cindy.
Overall, the event was a success, which was evident from the laughs and smiles heard and seen throughout the night. Congratulations to everyone who celebrated this year! For a full list of 2017 Service Award recipients, click here. Check out more photos from the event below. To view additional photos from the event visit https://www.flickr.com/gp/153082934@N06/f1C3h7
