Concordia Calendar: Meet May’s Team Members

At Concordia Lutheran Ministries, our employees are at the heart and hands of our mission – they care for our residents and patients with their hard work, kindness and empathy and keep our organization running with their leadership, vision and dedication.

Watching our amazing staff handle the unprecedented challenges of 2020 that continue into this year has been truly inspiring, so we chose to highlight just a few in our 2021 Concordia Calendar as a proclamation of gratitude for their many contributions. Though we wish there could be 3,000 pages in the calendar to feature all of our employees, this small sampling is representative of our extraordinary staff as a whole. Each month, we’ll introduce you to the talented, compassionate team members featured in our calendar.

May’s employees are Chelse Pudo-Carlisle, Cindy Leheny, Pam Martin and Kellie Jones from our Concordia at Villa St. Joseph team. While Pam could not participate in the interview this week, we look forward to introducing you to her sometime soon!

Q: What is your current position at Concordia and when did you begin your career with the organization?

Chelse: I am currently a CNA at Concordia. I began my career here 11 years ago in March of 2010.

Cindy: My current position is a CNA. I will celebrate my 10th year anniversary in May 2021!

Kellie: I am a CNA and I started in 1999!

Q: Why do you choose to work for Concordia?

Chelse: Flexibility, good location, great atmosphere.

Cindy: I feel like working hard and performing to the best of your ability makes a better work place and Concordia definitely encourages that atmosphere. They also strive to meet or satisfy the residents and their family’s needs. I also love and respect my co-workers. I can’t imagine working anywhere else.

Kellie: I choose to work at Concordia because I love our mission, everyone is kind and my residents and co-workers have become family!

Q: What aspects do you love most about your career?

Chelse: Just being able to offer help and attention to our residents.

Cindy: There are many aspects of being an aide that bring love and joy to my heart. Meeting residents and getting to know and love them like family. Meeting their family members and listening to the stories about their family and how much love and respect they have for their loved one.

Kellie: I love my career of helping others. This is what I was born to do.

Q: How do you best serve your residents?

Chelse: By giving them the best care I possibly can. Also giving lots of patience.

Cindy: The best way to serve our residents is to treat them with respect and always listen to them. We all want to do what makes the resident happy. I believe when the resident knows how much you care about their thoughts and their needs, it makes for a good atmosphere. That to me is what it’s all about!

Kellie: I listen to what my residents want, and do it! I work with them on what they want to do, not what I want.

Q: How do you decompress after a long day at work?

Chelse: I usually relax and do something with my kids or friends.

Cindy: I love to work in the yard and garden. I also have a screened in porch, so sitting out on the porch and reading a good book makes me feel very relaxed.

Kellie: I enjoy a wonderful, hot cup of coffee after a hot shower, comfy clothes, and put my feet up.

Q: Can you tell us about a time you and/or your co-workers went above and beyond during the pandemic?

Chelse: Every single day we all put our own fears of Covid to the side and came into work providing the best care we could to each resident. Even though it was scary we did it for our residents because we care and love them all!

Cindy: Covid hit in the middle of summer in our neighborhood (part of the building at CVSJ). We all were so hot and had trouble breathing. All of us forgot about all of that as soon as we entered a resident’s room. They couldn’t see us smile with our masks on, but they saw our eyes and felt our touch and that was all that mattered. Everyone on the team pulled together and helped the residents with all their needs. Small things like bringing ice cream, popsicles or a sweet treat kept them going. I truly believe there was so much kindness and love for each resident and they felt it from all the employees.

Kellie: Our team rocked during the pandemic last year when it hit our unit. We showed up every day – no matter how scared or frustrated we were, we worked together as a team, following all protocols to get our residents back to being healthy.

To learn more about the career opportunities at Concordia at Villa St. Joseph, located in Baden, PA, visit www.concordiacareers.org. To request a free copy of the 2021 Concordia Calendar, call the Public Relations Department at 724-352-1571, ext 8268.