2020 in Review: A Year for Hope and Compassion

To say 2020 has been a challenge would undoubtably be the understatement of the year. No matter who you are, this year has required us all to augment our lives completely. Jobs have changed, routines are different, and the way we interact with one another will never be the same.

As we look back on the year, we are humbled to see the positive impact our employees made in their communities during the pandemic. Sometimes what we think is a small gesture can make a big difference  and we’re grateful to all of our employees who stepped up and did whatever they could to help those who needed it most.

We’re proud to share a few of their stories.

Niki Mrvelj, Product Leader

“A smile doesn’t cost a fortune, doesn’t need a lot of time, and doesn’t need hours of effort, but the effect of a smile is limitless. My partner and I spent time together creating cards for the sole purpose to make people smile. We wanted the cards to bring happiness to people that could be going through difficult times, alone or with others. We created these cards with the brightest colours, loads of glitter (I mean tons), sweet drawings, and cheerful sayings. It was a humbling moment to think of what others are going through and how we are able to bring some happiness in a difficult time. Sometimes, it’s the small things that bring people happiness — we don’t need to wait for the pandemic to be reminded of our role to help and care for others.”

Sarah Dennis, Sales Engineer

“I applied for a PRN RN position with a local home health care company to help with the weekend on call visits because they were short staffed. I was motivated to help out because COVID-19 has already added so much additional stress to clinicians/patients and I’m available to help provide patient care. I felt the need to volunteer my services as a licensed registered nurse.”

Francois Fourie, Director, Sales

“One rainy afternoon we (PointClickCare) loaded up my truck full of Southern BBQ and drove to the Anthem Lakes Senior Community to provide meals for the nursing staff.”

Victor Ciubotariu, Senior Integrations Process Analyst

“My story starts early April 2020, reading online and watching news around the world about the need for masks and face shields. I had heard about a local Kitchener company in InkSmith building face shields using 3D printers and providing them to frontline users. I started experimenting if this is something that I will be able to build and make an impact. Very soon I realized that it will not be beneficial for me to help with face shields as it will take over 4 hours to make one complete shield. I was a little discouraged, so I started to look at other needs and alternatives where I can put my 3D printer to good use. Mid-April I saw this news post about a 12-year-old boy that created the surgical mask “ear savers”. I quickly jumped on the opportunity and started test prints. I was able to make 5 ear savers in 2 hours and 20 mins. Next step is to see demand in my area. My wife started a post on a local community page and this got traction right away and I have been printing them upon request ever since. So far, I have printed and shared over 150 ear savers for personal use, nursing homes, fire fighters and other emergency services, grocery store workers, hospitals, and autism service workers.”

Shawn Crawford, Account Executive

“I started a GoFundMe page where I raised $2,500 which I then donated to IHCC and Creative promotions in Skokie to help get masks and gowns to agencies in the surrounding areas. I mostly focused on MI and IL as they had been hit pretty hard by COVID-19. Then I was able to get a donation of roughly 6,000 masks from Canada (from our President, Dave Wessinger) and a few jugs of hand sanitizer which I hand delivered to agencies in MO, Il, and MI.”

Stacy Scott, Software Training Specialist

“The hospital at that time was calling for assistance with N95 masks and cloth masks that people could make at home. I have a cousin that is an Anesthesiologist here in Eastern Iowa, and she had reached out with any respirators or N95 masks we or friends might have. We accomplished finding all we could which was minimal but anything we could do to help I wanted to help. This Headband project started with my middle daughter Kayla needing something to help her ears. She worked in the output OR at our local hospital at the time but they had been shifting staff to other areas of the hospital, so she was wearing the cloth masks with elastic around her ears at all times. She said “Mom, my ears are so sore”. I had her bring over a few headbands and I found buttons in the house I sewed on. She was so happy with how much better it felt, she texted me the next day saying others were going home to make headbands with buttons too. All of these workers had ears that were red and raw. I decided we were going to help with headbands and buttons for as many as we could. Once we got done, we had a total of 32 headbands made in a few hours. The healthcare workers are still dealing with the issues on a daily basis. I worked in long term care for 24 years and my heart goes out to them and the residents. Giving is always better than receiving in my play book.”

Jon Sachs, Director, Government Relations

“I wanted to do something to help when the pandemic first hit in March. Donating blood was literally the least I could do, and with social distancing measures, donations were way down since people didn’t want to venture out. I’ve donated three times now, in April, June, and again in November, as the rules require you wait at least 55 days between donations. The whole process is very safe (masks are required, social distancing everywhere) and donations are only by appointment. Just happy to do my small part to help the health care system!”

Al Manning, Market Specialist

“I had been scheduled to do a show at highway 97 at a local brewery in town. This show was cancelled due to COVID-19. A friend of mine who was planning on attending the show works for The Hamlets, a client of ours that has a home very close to my office. In one of the management meetings at the Hamlets the team was looking for ways to engage with the residents in this new normal. Rob asked if I would consider playing for the residents and of course I said yes. I set up in the parking lot(s) and residents were able to view from their balconies, windows, gathering rooms, or from outside on the lawn. There are so many people doing so much for our seniors, yet so much more can be done. I love working for PointClickCare because of our mission to improve the lives of seniors. I am not a nurse, and I can’t sew masks. I love to play guitar and to be asked to do something that I love that might bring a little joy to people’s whose lives have been turned upside down due to the pandemic was a no-brainer. The fact that PointClickCare actively encourages us to give back and allows us to do these things during regular business hours made it even easier.”