For those who are fortunate enough to know Jeanne Campbell, many would speak of her compassion for serving seniors, her kindness when interacting with resident families and staff, and most of all, her dedication and attention to detail when listening and communicating with others.
It is this exceptional approach to Customer Service that resulted in Jeanne’s nomination for the Central Illinois Customer Service Association’s “WOW” Award. Receiving her nomination from the family member of a past resident at Mill Creek Alzheimer’s Special Care Center, Amy Hood, Jeanne is the second person to ever receive the “WOW” Award.
In her nomination letter, Amy shared her numerous reasons for wanting to recognize Jeanne with a “WOW” Award. While her full nomination is provided below, we would like to highlight the following portion of Amy’s nomination letter, “…Jeanne is not afraid to get her hands dirty. I remember visiting my mom on a Sunday afternoon and finding Jeanne painting a bedroom because a new resident needed to move-in the next day. Instead of calling-in the maintenance staff for this short-notice task, she handled it. During one of the biggest snowstorms of the season I pulled up and found Jeanne shoveling the front sidewalks of Mill Creek. Jeanne was often found feeding a resident, visiting with them, or partaking in some balloon-volleyball. She re-arranged rooms to make them more “homey” for the residents, and during her time at Mill Creek has organized a large renovation of the flooring and interior design. Jeanne often joked around with my mother, and always welcomed my dad to stick around for lunch when he came to visit. Jeanne provided empathy to all the family members who came to visit their loved ones and even started a support group for those individuals. If a staff member called off from work, or something needed done, Jeanne was there. Jeanne is still there!…”
Jeanne makes Springfield a happier place where people feel respected, included, and welcomed. Jeanne is the administrator of Mill Creek, yet she made us feel like she had all the time in the world to visit, get to know us, get to know my mother, and listen.
Amy Hood, FT Auditor, Volunteer Event Chair – Springfield Walk to End ALZ
Jeanne’s well-deserved nomination and award is rooted in almost 30 years of serving seniors and their families throughout the aging process. Starting with Sinceri Senior Living nearly 14 years ago as the Administrator of Mill Creek, Jeanne has been delivering exceptional customer service and Meaningful Moments to residents since day one.
Karen Gedrose, Community Relations Director of Mill Creek had this to share about Jeanne, “I started at Mill Creek almost 3 years ago as our Community Relations Director. My first impression of Jeanne was her heart of service and passion for those at Mill Creek – she considers our residents, families, and team members to be family, and the building itself to be her home. Her heart for caring, paired with her experience and tenure at Mill Creek spoke volumes to me, and gave me confidence in joining the team and serving alongside her.”
Karen continued, “Jeanne has this easygoing way about her. She is able to quickly build relationships with others and turn friends into family. For our residents and families, this means building life-long relationships, where we stay in contact for years to come. Many of our families continue to visit and volunteer with us, even after their loved ones have passed. It is Jeanne’s heart of service and dedication to serving others that make her incredibly deserving of this award.”
Click the video screenshot below to watch Jeanne’s interview with Fox Illinois and to hear what receiving this award meant to her: