Employee Shout Outs

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Aaliyah has been absolutely crushing it with her work and CARF prep. Keep up the great work!! 

After arriving to work last Wednesday 4/30/2026 it was obvious that I was not myself. I was extremely dizzy and not feeling well, both Jenny and Harley Parker jumped into action checking my BP and my sugar level. They both were very helpful and Jenny stayed and worked my shift, without hesitation. I was and am so thankful for their concern and care.

I wanted to give a shout-out to Sue for the impressive hard work she demonstrated on 5/7. Sue completed two residential assessments and graciously volunteered to take on a third.
 

The final assessment required exceptional attention to detail, strong clinical judgment, and a great deal of patience. Sue was a fierce advocate for this client, going above and beyond to make special arrangements for her medications and working diligently to obtain approval from the medical director. Thank you, Sue!

Shout out to Jennifer, for all your hard work on Drug Take Back AND our resource guide!! Not only do you work so hard, but you go out of your way to encourage and spread joy everywhere you go and to every person you talk to. We are grateful to have you as part of our prevention team! 

Thank you Olivia, for all your amazing help with distributing flyers for Drug Take Back this April and getting the word out in the community! I also want to thank you for taking the time to help me create the Drug Take Back video to publish online.  You're the best!!  You are a valuable piece to our prevention team and agency overall.  We appreciate all you do! 

Thank you Kiley, for all your help with distributing flyers for Drug Take Back this April and getting the word out in the community! You are a valuable piece to our prevention team and agency overall.  We appreciate all you do! 

Thank you Madison, for all your amazing help with distributing flyers for Drug Take Back this April and getting the word out in the community! Thank you for also helping with the Drug Take Back event on Saturday, April 25th at the Toledo Pharmacy!  You are a valuable piece to our prevention team and agency overall.  We appreciate all you do! 

The Lerna Staff and Monitors would like to thank Mike Linder for being AWESOME! He always delivers the food on time, and carries it all in. For anybody who does not know... those totes are HEAVY! He also totes our mail back and forth, takes recommendations from the clients and relays them to the kitchen staff, and keeps a diligent eye on our supplies that we may need. If the ladies ask him for help getting anything from the kitchen, he gladly and promptly gets it for them. HE IS SO APPRECIATED!!

A big thank you to all of the staff that attended the IABH Advocacy Day.  You all did a great job of representing our agency at the Illinois State Capitol!!  You also went out of your way to assure our clients in attendance got to see how our State government works.  Recovery works, and Hour House staff are awesome!! 

James patiently worked with Dydra and I to hang the new beautiful paintings in the Hour House location. Even through our gripes and demands, he was patient and happy to help! Thanks for making the facility beautiful, James!! You are always wonderful to work with!! 

Shout out goes to Lisa! She was so helpful when I called into the Hour House! She went above and beyond to help me figure something out. Thank you Lisa for being kind and compassionate and making my day much better!  

I wanted to give a shout out to EVERYONE at the agency, past and present. I attended a Women's Recovery Brunch in Springfield last weekend and the speaker from NA was a client at the Hour House in 1993! She shared her experience and how it transformed her life & professional trajectory. I also saw a comment on a hiring post for and the comment was, "I'd love to get back in there. That place saved my life!" 

Jennifer, I wanted to express my admiration for the way in which you advocated for your client in team meeting yesterday. I was very impressed with your explanation of the reasoning behind your thoughts, and I believe you inspired others to consider the client's perspective and emotions, regardless of whether or not they "agree" with them. Time and time again, your actions have demonstrated that you put your client's needs first, which is very admirable! 

I just really appreciate how Dydra treats and interacts with the clients at the HH. It was overheard by a staff member that clients were talking about Dydra saying things like, "She treats you like a human being. She looks you in the eye. She doesn't treat us like drug addicts." She always makes uninterrupted time for the clients to address their needs. Their treatment is her primary concern and focus! Dydra shows a true passion to treat this disorder while having compassion and a huge heart!

This morning at the Edgar County Warming Center, I met an individual in desperate need of clothing. I put out a quick call on Facebook, and within 10 minutes—Stephanie showed up in a big way!
 

Because of her kindness and quick response, we were able to get this individual the clothing they needed right away. 🙌
 

Stephanie, your compassion and willingness to jump into action is what community is all about. You made a real difference today, and it did not go unnoticed. 

Thank you Laylie for your inspiring words, communication style, solid leadership and helpful tips for mindfulness eating for our clients which was such a fun way for education and empowerment our groups!  With your encouragement, we did this session today and the clients really enjoyed it and were actively engaged throughout the entire session and had such a fun time!

Thanks for being a bright light for our team! 

Jessica Parrill for ALWAYS being willing to help out with any questions that I have! She's been such a big help since I've started, and I appreciate it so much!   

Thank you Chris for always being upbeat and cheerful, taking time to talk to staff and clients every day. We all appreciate you! The clients love you!  

Madison taught all 8 of my 8th grade Too Good For Drugs classes on Friday, March 6th at Sullivan Middle School because I had lost my voice.  Thank you so much Madison!  

The biggest CONGRATULATIONS to Heather on passing her Professional in Human Resources® (PHR®) Exam today! Officially PHR® certified! <3 

Shout out to Gabe S for always going above and beyond for clients and staff. He exceeds expectations fully always. Anytime a staff needs help anytime he is right there willing to help with whatever he can and keeps in good spirits and good mood through it all!   

Thanks to Heather for organizing and distributing all the employee purchases from our merch store this week!!

Thanks for taking time to organize our agency's merch store and distribute all the purchases this week!