Hilltoppers,

Happy Hilltop Holidays! This month is full of events and gatherings and in true Hilltop spirit they are all positioned to be bigger and better than the last. First up, be sure to bring your families to the all Hilltop Christmas Party happening Wednesday December 19th at the Commons from 3:00-7:00pm. Other festive events around the organization include a wreath design department challenge on the Bacon Campus, “Deck the Halls” over at TRC, and door decorating contests at both corporate and the Montrose office.

One of the many staffing changes the last few months saw was the addition of Andrea Podgorny as the Director of Human Resources. Andrea came to us from STRIVE with a combined 13 years of HR experience. She loves the outdoors, road biking, and golfing. If you see her around ask her about her love of the Chicago Cubs and her dog named Wrigley. With that hello comes and bitter sweet goodbye as Lisa Martin prepares for her retirement on February 1st after 15 years at Hilltop. We also have one more hello without a goodbye attached as Josh Becton joins us at the new Director of The Commons as Cathy Story expands her role over senior life, corporate training, and the marketing and communications department.

Out in Montrose exciting things are happening with the opening of the Senior Daybreak Program. This beautiful new facility and program meets a true need in that community for people taking care of their loved ones at home.
The Fountain Hills development is coming along nicely. In January, six new patio homes are opening. There has been a strong response to these new additions as many folks around the valley like the idea of having support and care not too far away, but to stay living as independently as possible in their later years.

Amazing things are happening on the Bacon Campus for the LAP clients and staff. The fitness center has been rechristened The Community Center. This name better encompasses all the fun things happening for our residents in that building. They now have new bathrooms, a movie theatre, gym equipment, and a multipurpose space. Up next is an upgrade to the dining room and a fire suppression system. All of these things might seem cosmetic, but they really have an impact on the quality of life for residents and help us better serve our clients.

And last I want to update you on the exciting changes that have happened at the Family Resource Center. As you all know Barb Burch retired after 34 years and that left quite the hole to fill over at Health Access. Christy Higgins has taken on that role as well as moved the 211 program under the FRC umbrella. The ADRC program is staying put at the Workforce Center, but we are happy to be able to provide such a breath of services to incorporate a “no wrong door” philosophy at the FRC. One more soon-to-be addition on Colorado Ave is a day services program for RYS youth. This expansion is just waiting licensing and would provide much needed mental health and support services to the youth in the community.

That’s it for this update. Start getting creative for the Hilltop Game Night themed Employee Banquet Dinner coming up in February!

Happy holidays to you and yours,

Mike