Cornerstone C A MP U S
SE RV IC E S
N E WS L E T T E R
Bow Wow Yippy Yo
Jennifer Williams Assistant Manager Stephanie Hartman and Food Service Trainer Kevin Murray came up with a great idea for Campus Services Training Week. Therapy dogs are often brought to campus for students- the event is often over the lunch hour- when Campus Services staff are unable to participate due to high operational business needs. Therefore, they asked if we could book the dogs to come visit on cleaning day. Bow Wow Yippy Yo Yippy Yay- it happened! Tuesday, May 24th, Maple Street Commons hosted seven therapy dogs from the Hamilton Dog Training Club. All Campus Services team members were invited to attend the event; however, the event was advertised as a SURPRISE VISITOR (not dogs). Team members were encouraged to guess who was coming to meet them through a series of hints emailed each day. Staff guesses included: George Clooney, Swoop, Ben Roethlisberger, a robot, Ja’Marr Chase, Kid Rock, Gandhi, Chef Gordan Ramsay, and many many more. Gina Staton was the first staff member to correctly guess and will be receiving a small prize. Team Members were encouraged to come take 15-30 minutes to connect with each other- colleagues who work in other buildings on campus that they may
not have seen for over 2 years due to COVID restrictions. Staff were able to socialize, relax, and catch their breath. The energy vibe of the event was buzzing, filling the large space with laughter, smiles, photos, and even some hugs. The stars of the show- Brownie, Okie, Kylie, Luke Skywalker, Duck, and Enya received lots of attention and petting. Ambassador Renate Crawford brought Newton, her male golden retriever, to the event (as he is training to be a therapy dog). Side note- I think very few people actually saw the top of Kylie as she was on her back the entire event just patiently waiting for the next person to rub her belly! Even staff members who are fearful of or allergic to dogs were able to join the fun in our animal free zone to chat with other team members. Overall, the staff enjoyed the break in action between commencement and the start of summer conference groups. Thanks to all who participated, hosted, created, and worked the event. Special thanks to the doggies and their trainers!