Parsons Presbyterian Manor
OCTOBER 2021
PMMA scholarships support employee education, careers PMMA (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America®) has awarded scholarships to four Parsons Presbyterian Manor staff members: Rachel Schneider, Taylor Shearhart, Christy Trimble and Haley Walker. Each woman is pursuing further education in a field related to their work in our community. Haley Walker serves as the human resource manager, a position she has held for a year and a half. She will use her education assistance to defray the cost of earning her Certified Professional designation through the Society of Human Resource Management.
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Jerad Clift
New environmental services director is happy to make a difference Jerad Clift began his new position as environmental services director at Parsons Presbyterian Manor in August. Almost immediately, big things started breaking: In his first few weeks on the job, multiple air conditioning units and one of the boilers quit. “It was a baptism by fire at first, but it’s leveling out now,” he said. In his new role, Jerad oversees maintenance, housekeeping, laundry and the Parsons Presbyterian Manor grounds. He also supervises the seven-person staff who handles all the details that keep the community running.
Surrounded by their coworkers and well-wishers, Christy Trimble, Rachel Schneider, and Haley Walker (wearing blue in the back row) pose with their education award letters.
Jerad brings a broad range of experience. His career began as a part-time hand at the lumber yard. He worked his way up to foreman, then held inside sales and operations
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Get the latest on visitation and COVID-19 at our campus at ParsonsPresbyterianManor.org/covid-19.
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We can’t do it without you! Volunteers and donors are critical to helping PMMA (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America®) achieve the mission of providing quality senior services guided by Christian values. We seek to enhance all aspects of our volunteer program and grow philanthropy. Each PMMA Community Mission Committee is comprised of volunteers who are responsible for supporting and enhancing the services provided by PMMA® senior living communities through volunteer activities and fundraising efforts.
To learn more about our Mission Committee, and how you can volunteer, contact Maegan Pegues, executive director at 620-421-1450. All PMMA volunteers are subject to qualification based on screening and/or background checks. Qualifications: Passionate about promoting the mission of PMMA and has an interest in fundraising strategic planning. Committed to Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America and its values.
Understands the organization’s objectives, services and the responsibilities and relationships of working with donors, volunteers and partners. Diplomatic skills and a natural affinity for cultivating relationships and persuading, convening, facilitating and building consensus among diverse individuals. Demonstrated interest in promoting volunteerism. Interest, knowledge and influence in the community with personal qualities of integrity, credibility and a passion to support the community. u
Please consider joining us and making a difference in the lives of seniors!
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Community Matters 620-421-1450 u Fax: 620-421-1897 3501 Dirr Ave. Parsons, KS 67357-2220 ParsonsPresbyterianManor.org
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | October 2021
is published monthly for residents and friends of Parsons Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
To submit or suggest articles: mpegues@pmma.org Maegen Pegues, executive director
OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.
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The opportunity to make connections and build relationships with employees is what originally attracted Haley to the human resources field. “I enjoy being the person who has the first connection with the employee, and someone they can come back to whenever they need help,” she said. “This certification will help me expand my skillset so I can better serve the employees at Presbyterian Manor.” Haley plans to take her certification exam in December of this year.
Haley Walker
Christy Trimble
Taylor Schearhart
Rachel Schneider
$32,000 for the 2020-21 academic year.
Thanks to you, these employees received funds to pursue educational dreams and grow in their field of study.
Rachel Schneider, director of assisted living, and Christy Trimble, our quality assurance nurse, are both working toward their associate’s degrees in nursing, which will prepare them to become registered nurses. Taylor Shearhart currently works as a certified nursing assistant, and she is pursuing her certified medical assistant certification. The PMMA Scholarship Program reflects the organization’s mission of attracting and retaining a wellqualified workforce. Private donations fund the scholarships, which are facilitated through PMMA’s Department of Giving. Employees who support the program may elect to have a small amount deducted from their paycheck each pay period. Last year, the PMMA Education Committee awarded scholarships to 15 recipients totaling nearly
Learn more about how to support the PMMA scholarship program by visiting Giving.PresbyterianManors.org/ Education-Scholarships/.
The Employee Scholarship application process occurs in the spring for the next school year. u
Parsons Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY
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3501 Dirr Ave. Parsons, KS 67357-2220 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
CLIFT– continued from page 1 manager positions. He has also worked elsewhere in both sales and construction. “I’ve worked about everywhere other than a factory,” Jerad said. He has longstanding roots in the community, having grown up in Girard and graduated from high school in Parsons. Jared and his family now live in Erie. He has two children from a previous marriage whom he has raised full time since they were 3 and 5 years old. Now teenagers, they enjoy backpacking as a family in
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Arkansas. Recently, they’ve taken up kayaking, and Jerad would like to go back to Arkansas to “float down the river and camp on the banks.” Maintenance work appeals to him in part because of a dream he shares with his girlfriend. Their “30-year plan” involves purchasing and managing property. Jerad has a personal connection to his new workplace: His grandparents, Ralph and Betty Heady, have been Presbyterian Manor residents for the past two years.
COMMUNITY MATTERS | October 2021
“This place has one of the best reputations in town, which is why my grandparents are here,” Jerad said. His familiarity with the community gave Jerad the confidence the job would be a good fit. His first few weeks here have confirmed that. “I wanted something where at the end of the day I could go home and feel like I helped someone, and I’ve found out this is exactly what I’ve been looking for,” he said. “What was missing in my last few jobs is the feeling I was making a difference.” u