LPN Named St. Barnabas 2008 Hoppy Award Winner
Dawn Stiokis lauded during 25th Annual Employee Recognition Celebration
Gibsonia, Pa. - Feb. 23, 2009 - Dawn Stiokis of Cabot is St. Barnabas Health System's 2008 Hoppy Award winner. Stiokis was nominated by her co-workers and selected for the honor, which is St. Barnabas' equivalent of an Employee of the Year, from among 544 employees. She was presented with the award on Feb. 12 by William V. Day, president of
St. Barnabas Health System, during the Health System's 25th Annual Employee Recognition Celebration.
Stiokis is a 25-year veteran of St. Barnabas Health System. She was a Certified Nursing Assistant for most of her tenure with the Health System and recently earned a nursing degree from Lenape School of Nursing. She now works as Licensed Practical Nurse at Valencia Woods at St. Barnabas. Her responsibilities include direct patient care, communicating with their family members and working as part of a team on the skilled nursing floor.
Stiokis was presented with a personally inscribed trophy, a box of chocolates and a bouquet of roses. Following the program, her immediate supervisor, Director of Nursing Barbara Burford, said that Stiokis is an exemplary person to receive the Hoppy Award because of her strong work ethic, her commitment to quality patient care and her desire to advance in her profession and skill level by attending school while working.
Stiokis is a graduate of Mars High School. She and her husband, Dennis, are the parents of four children. In her spare time, she enjoys breeding Boston terriers.
Stiokis is the 25th person to receive the Hoppy Award, which is inscribed with the words: "Recognized for outstanding loyalty and service to St. Barnabas Health System, fellow employees and the community." The 25th Annual Employee Recognition Celebration was the first event to be held in St. Barnabas' new Crystal Conservatories, a glass complex that includes areas for recreational and social uses as well as an indoor swimming pool.
The Hoppy Award is named for the late Ralph L. Blessley (1918-1984), a 19-year employee of St. Barnabas Nursing Home. Blessley was a former patient of St. Barnabas who was affectionately known as "Hoppy" because a bone disease had left one leg shorter than the other, causing him to have an unusual gait. Going beyond his duties as a maintenance worker,
Hoppy raised plants, built a greenhouse and made little tables for patients. He raised $2,300 for St. Barnabas' annual fund-raising event by selling items he made. During his 19 years of employment, he missed fewer than 10 days of work.
Also during the program, 47 employees were recognized for reaching longevity milestones of 5, 10, 15, 25 and 30 years of service during 2008. Conducting the program were former Hoppy Award winners Steve Glenn, Maintenance Supervisor at Valencia Woods at St. Barnabas; Karen Trapp, a Licensed Practical Nurse at St. Barnabas Nursing Home; Margot Kreutzer, Marketing Coordinator for St. Barnabas Health System; and Gwen Franz, Clinical Coordinator for St. Barnabas Medical Center. Featured speakers were Linda Smith, a Licensed Practical Nurse at St. Barnabas Nursing Home; and Earl Fish, a Maintenance Technician at St. Barnabas Nursing Home and the 2007 Hoppy Award winner.
About St. Barnabas, St. Barnabas Health System is the largest health care concern of its kind in Pennsylvania and offers service apart from the ordinary in a faith-based, non-denominational setting. Tracing its heritage back to 1900, the system serves approximately 900 inpatients and residents, plus 35,000 outpatients and home care clients. The health system is composed of the
St. Barnabas Communities, including The Village at St. Barnabas, The Washington Place at St. Barnabas and The Woodlands at St. Barnabas; St. Barnabas Clinical Services, including St. Barnabas Nursing Home, St. Barnabas Medical Center, Valencia Woods at St. Barnabas and The Arbors at St. Barnabas; the Kean Theatre; and St. Barnabas Charities, the fund-raising arm.
Contact:
Kathleen Brenneman
(724) 444-5530
kbrenneman@stbarnabashealthsystem.com
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