Cathy Carter is honored to be the LifeView Group 2023 Team Member of the Year, a recognition she doesn’t take lightly.
When Cathy’s leaders peeked around her office door and said, “we need to talk,” she got nervous until she saw her supervisor smiling. “I thought, I’m being punked. Where are the cameras?” That’s when they told her she was being recognized as the Team Member of the Year. “I started crying – couldn’t believe it. I always said I was going to win the lotto one day, and that’s how I felt.”
2023 Team Member of the Year work journey
Cathy left a career in home health and came to work at LifeView Group in 2006. When she visited the Lakeview Center children’s services building, her heart broke. “I have grandbabies, and I spoil them. Your heart breaks knowing the things some kids go through,” Cathy said. “I thought, why can’t we start a wish list and donate Christmas presents to these kids?” Cathy’s team immediately jumped onboard. A few years later, she thought, our adults need things too: toiletries, scarves, gloves. Again, with full support of her team, Cathy started a food and clothes closet. She said, “It’s turned into something wonderful. I love seeing a client wearing a jacket from our closet to keep warm.”
She learned to help others by watching her father. “My daddy taught me to always help your neighbor. He used to say, ‘bring something good to the table’.” She said, “You get that feeling of love in your heart when you help someone. You just want to keep doing it.”
Her work family
As for her coworkers, they are like family too. “My team is my family. I love them dearly, and when they need help, I need to help them, from food to clothing or just an ear to listen and help them through the day. It helps me as well.”
For instance, one coworker’s husband was in the hospital. “She wouldn’t leave him, and I don’t blame her. I wouldn‘t leave either, but she had needs at home, like laundry. I said, I have a washer and dryer. I’ll be there in a minute. So, I did her laundry. I made food that was easy to heat up at the hospital and took it to her. Doing something simple for someone can mean a lot. I’m sure she would do the same for me.”
Working at LifeView Group is rewarding every day. “I love everything about my job — the clients, coworkers, and what I do. We run into people all the time who need assistance. I consider it part of my job to do these things. It’s our mission. If everyone could do one thing each day to help someone else, it would mean a lot.”