As we wind up the second year in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, the president and chief executive officer of the Family Health Center in Kalamazoo offered that response on behalf of the medical professionals in her charge and the many medical providers with whom she works.
Medical professionals took an oath to try to save lives, she says. They trained and prepared for that their entire careers. So when COVID struck they saw it as a challenge and a responsibility to protect their communities.
]]>The nonprofit health clinic serving citizens of Kalamazoo County has implemented a sweeping change in employee compensation that puts Family Health Center on the leading edge of pay practices in health care.
The move is designed to enhance Family Health Center’s ability to recruit and retain the very best health care workers, says Denise Crawford, President and CEO.
It’s working.
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Staff volunteered for Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes by sorting donated cans, bagging potatoes, and packing pantry orders. Loaves & Fishes provides groceries for an average of 700 people a day! It was a true pleasure to lend a hand to help this vital organization.
We paid for groceries for more than 55 lucky customers! The kindness began at Park Street market, then on to Midtown Fresh Market, and concluded at Town & Country Supermarket.
We delivered hygiene kits to YWCA Kalamazoo to help support their programs. There is a great need for these products in our community and especially at the YWCA. YWCA Kalamazoo provides direct services and shapes policies that affect the most vulnerable in our community.
It has been a privilege to serve our community in so many unique and creative ways this year. FHC is grateful to all who helped us celebrate 50 Years of Service with 50 Acts of Kindness!See what else we did to celebrate here: https://www.fhckzoo.com/50-acts-of-kindness/
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Coffee Rescue served up delicious hot beverages and baked goods at both our Paterson and Alcott locations. Our staff and patients appreciated the warm treats!
We surprised our dental patients at our Alcott building with electric toothbrushes! This Act of Kindness will also help create better dental health. Electric toothbrushes have been shown to clean teeth and gums much better than a manual brush and give the user healthier gums and fewer cavities!
We packed exam survival kits for Seita Scholars at the Center for Fostering Success at Western Michigan University on Wednesday. The Center’s mission is to improve college graduation and career achievement rates among youth and young adults aging out of the foster care system. We hope the kits help students get through exams with flying colors!
Thanks to a generous donation from United Health Care of over 7,000 diapers, we were able to give a case of diapers to any patient with newborns through toddlers. Recipients were very grateful, and we sent a lot of families home with smiles and a little relief!
Lastly, it was great fun to see the excitement from Kalamazoo Public School staff when we dropped off our donation of school supplies! We donated crayons, markers, notebooks, educational games, and other materials for distribution throughout the schools. Last week we dropped off supplies at Northglade Elementary and Washington Writers’ Academy. We will continue distributing supplies this week to Edison Elementary, Woodward School for Technology & Research, and Parkwood-Upjohn Elementary.
Interested in what else we have been up to as we celebrate 50 years of service with 50 Acts of Kindness? Follow along here: https://www.fhckzoo.com/50-acts-of-kindness/
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We had two members of Kalhaven Strings perform live music in both of our lobbies. They played soothing pop, classical, and holiday music. It was a joy to hear these very talented musicians!
We picked up the tab for a few lucky customers at beauty salons. They were so grateful! Not only did we bring smiles, we saw tears of joy! The fun continued as we picked up multiple tabs at The Crow’s Nest restaurant afterward. Interested in what else we have been up to as we celebrate 50 years of service with 50 Acts of Kindness
Follow along here: https://www.fhckzoo.com/50-acts-of-kindness/
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Residents and staff of the Gilmore Community Healing Center received an Olive Garden catered dinner from our Substance Use Disorder (SUD) clinic. SUD works closely with the Gilmore Community Healing Center and would like to acknowledge the coordination of care both agencies provide while supporting individuals as they work on their recovery.
We shared holiday pies with Leisure Time Condos, Mothers Of Hope, and the Kalamazoo Gospel Ministries for the Thanksgiving holiday.
We provided gift baskets to local downtown business employees as they head into the busy holiday shopping season. Even though things have been tough lately, we wanted them to know they are appreciated!
We hosted blood drives at both our clinic locations so our staff could support Versiti and its mission to save lives.
Interested in what else we have been up to as we celebrate 50 years of service with 50 Acts of Kindness? Follow along here: https://www.fhckzoo.com/50-acts-of-kindness/
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On Wednesday Caricatures by Gene visited both our Paterson and Alcott locations to draw caricatures for our patients. It was a blast to watch him work, and he left many FHC patients and staff smiling! On Thursday we kicked off our Toys for Tots donation drive! Both our Paterson and Alcott locations are community donation sites for this important yearly drive. Collection boxes are located in both lobbies. We will be collecting new, unwrapped donations through December 14, spread the word, and join us in spreading a little extra joy to the children in our community this holiday season! Interested in what else we have been up to as we celebrate 50 years of service with 50 Acts of Kindness? See what else we’ve done here: https://www.fhckzoo.com/50-acts-of-kindness/
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), prepared treats to hand out to little ones at the front desk and pharmacy at our Paterson and Alcott clinics. It was tons of fun, and we generated lots of excitement and smiles!
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