‘Gr8ful Give Back’: WISH-TV, Subway surprise frontline workers with $5,000 in gift cards
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The year 2020 has been a challenging one for frontline workers, including those who work at long-term care facilities and take care of some of the most vulnerable Hoosiers every day.
WISH-TV partnered with Subway and found a way to give back and express how grateful the community is for what they do.
News 8’s Alexis Rogers and McKinzie Roth visited Traditions at North Willow to surprise them with the “Gr8ful Give Back” as one of two long-term care facilities that received $2,500 worth of Subway gift cards for workers.
These are just a few moments that have made life a little easier for family members like Sara Tischbein.
“My mother-in-law is here. We recently moved her here from Minnesota about six months ago. They have been so warm and friendly. They made the transition nice for her,” Tischbein said. “Thank you, thank you for making her feel welcome, thank you for making us feel welcome!”
Executive director Libby Mellinger said the hard work her staff does every day makes moments like these all the more important.
“It literally brought tears to my eyes. I have the best team. They are wonderful and they deserve this so much,” Mellinger said. “We have all come together as one great big family. It is so hard right now. Families can’t come see the their loved ones. They rely on us to be that link. My staff is amazing. They go above and beyond to make sure the residents are happy and healthy. It is a big deal for them. Every time they use that card, they are going to remember how grateful we are to have them.”
Mellinger said it was an honor that they were nominated by residents’ families.
“Thank you! We love you, we adore you. We are blessed to be able to share your family members with you. I wouldn’t choose another career for anything. Thank you for everything you do to help and support us,” Mellinger said.
Rogers and Roth also visited Clearvista Lake Health campus.
Families like Laura Douthitt’s know firsthand how intentional the staff at Clearvista has been.
“My mom was a resident there for almost two years. We were really impressed with this facility,” said Douthitt. “They were so careful about COVID precautions. I felt like my mom was super safe there. She didn’t pass away from COVID because of their attention to detail.”
Director Sue Hamilton said honoring the staff is a needed bright spot.
“As everyone knows, it has been very, very challenging — hard on the staff, families and super hard on the residents. It has been going on, as you know, for several months. isolation and missing families. it has been challenging,” Hamilton said.
With their hard work and big hearts in mind, Douthitt said their efforts go a long way.
“Going into the pandemic, they had to switch course for the lockdown, but they did a phenomenal job. They were playing the ukulele in my mom’s room for her and they would play bean bag toss. My mom was bedridden. They did many activities,” Douthiit said. “Thank you for making my mom’s last months as great as they could be. They really provided her a lot of comfort. In turn provided me comfort when I couldn’t be there every day, and I trusted them. That’s a big deal.”
It’s a sense of joy and gratitude of workers that are more than deserving and are heroes to many.
“To the staff and everyone, we want to say how grateful we are for you,” Tischbein said.
To keep the giving going, Clear Vista’s life enrichment director, Nadine Graham, is inviting people to sing carols outside of the residents’ windows to bring them joy. If you are interested, email her at Nadine.Graham@clearvistalakehc.com.