Meet Hope Dwyer, August Aide of the Month
Congratulations to our August Aide of the Month, Hope Dwyer! Hope has been a Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA) with FCS Home Care Services since 1999. Hope received her certification through FCS and says she was immediately drawn to the welcoming staff. “I did the course and I knew I wanted to come back because I liked the people,” Hope explained, “and when I went to visit my first client, I really liked her too.”
Meet Mariah Nelson, July Aide of the Month
Congratulations to our July Aide of the Month, Mariah Nelson! Mariah received her Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA) training through Family & Children’s Service and has been with the agency for 12 years. When asked what inspired Mariah to become a CHHA she explained “I saw the need to help people and when I saw how gratified I felt after caring for my clients, I thought this is what I should do.”Read more
Meet Gloria Valbrune, June Aide of the Month
Congratulations to our June Aide of the Month, Gloria Valbrune! Gloria has been a Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA) with FCS Home Care Services for an impressive 24 years. Prior to working at FCS, Gloria worked at a nursing home where two coworkers suggested she apply for a job at FCS. Gloria remembers thinking “I don’t drive and I know they will ask me for a driver’s license. So, when I got my driver’s license I applied.”
Gloria recalls taking her certification class at FCS in 1995, proudly remembering “I took the class and started working right away. I finished on Friday and started working on Monday.”Read more
Meet Melissa Greiss, May Aide of the Month
Congratulations to our May Aide of the Month, Melissa Greiss! Melissa has been a Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA) with FCS Home Care Services for two years, receiving her training through FCS in 2016. Formerly a pre-school teacher, Melissa has taken her passion for helping people and employed it to different demographic still in need of care and compassion.
Melissa describes how working for a nonprofit holds importance to her. “I feel like giving back, not working for a company that is just in it for the money.” She explains, “At the end of the day you are making a difference in someone else’s life.”Read more
Meet Betty Gadson, April Aide of the Month
Congratulations to our April Aide of the Month, Betty Gadson! Betty has been a Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA) with FCS Home Care Services for seven years. Formerly a trained Certified Nurses Aide (CNA) with a local nursing facility, Betty says she prefers providing care for her clients in the comfort of their own homes.
“I really get attached to my clients,” Betty explains. “I help take care of them, but what they really want is companionship. They enjoy having someone who they can talk to and share their stories.”
A Dream to be a Nurse
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve dreamed of becoming a nurse. After graduating high school, I happily enrolled in the Bachelor of Nursing (BSN) program at the College of Mt. St. Vincent in New York, but a family situation interrupted my plans. I moved home, enrolled in Katharine Gibbs Business School and for the next 20 years, worked as a legal secretary and legal assistant.Read more
It Starts in the Heart
Grace Edmond is a Certified Home Health Aide with FCS Home Care Services. She is also an aspiring nurse, hoping one day to work in the field of pediatrics. It's a goal she set when she was was just 14-years old after facing down a serious health scare.
“The whole thing was hard on me and my parents," Grace recalls. "Seeing my parents have to go through all of that -- a new illness, finding treatment, helping me learn how to manage it and live a life of optimum health. It was challenging."Read more
Supportive Home Health Aide Recognized
Stephanie Holmes has been caring for frail and chronically ill seniors for most of her adult life. Shortly after graduating high school, Stephanie completed the necessary training to become a Certified Home Health Aide, or CHHA. She spent the next several decades working as a CHHA at a number of residential care facilities in New Jersey before an injury derailed her career. That’s when this mother of four boys decided to become a Supportive Home Health Aide with FCS Home Care Services. Read more
Meet Jean Delva, Aide of the Month
Congratulations to Jean Delva, January's Aide of the Month! An eight year veteran of FCS Home Care Services, Jean began his career as a Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA) after immigrating from his native Haiti following the 2010 earthquake. Prior to coming to the U.S., Jean was a government accountant, but without a license to practice in the U.S., he was unable to find work in the field. A friend encouraged Jean to attend an open house at FCS, and after meeting the staff, he decided to give Home Care a try.
Diane Tornquist, Aide of the Month
Diane Torquist has been a Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA) with Family & Children’s Service (FCS) Home Care Services for more than two decades. She trained with the agency in 1996 right after graduating from high school. At that time, Diane thought she would work as an aide for a few years, but to her surprise, she fell in love with the work.