Forging Bonds in the Face of Illness

List of winners in the Nonprofit Organizations category

By now, youve surely seen the Why Here? billboards plastered around Seattle, calling attention to the Pacific Northwests elevated incidence of multiple sclerosis, which is among the highest rates in the world.

Is it the water? they ask. Is it the trees?

Though the answers to these questions remain unclear, patients and families coping with MS in Seattle can take heart in the efforts of the Greater Washington Chapter of the National MS Society, the group behind those billboards. The chapter provides support and services to more than 9,000 MS patientsand the 50,000 relatives, friends and health care professionals who interact with them. The chapter also offers financial assistance for prescriptions, social events for singles, a childrens summer camp and weekend retreats for couples, among other services.

Its an incredible place to work, thanks in large part to the managerial style of Patty Shepherd-Barnes, chapter president since 2000. As a young woman, Shepherd-Barnes found herself widowed with three children. Shed been working part-time for the Arthritis Foundation, but she hesitated when offered a full-time position there.

I was really worried about it. I had three young children and no family living in the area, Shepherd-Barnes says. But her employers granted her the freedom to see her sons baseball games, to be a den mother and a Bluebird leader. In turn, Shepherd-Barnes worked harder than she thought she could, and she remembers the treatment she received there.

Ive always been appreciative of that, she says. I put in time-and-a-half because they gave me time.

Shepherd-Barnes experience at the Arthritis Foundation helped shape her leadership style. Granting flexibility to the employee and getting hard work in return is the foundation on which the MS Societys Washington chapter stands. But the group also offers employees assistance with continuing education, merit-based bonuses and a host of other benefits. Add in the emotional rewards of helping to improve peoples lives, and its no wonder that the chapters 24 employees love where they work.

People really do want to work here, Shepherd-Barnes says. They believe in the mission, and they see the power of what we do.

And what power they have. Through a combination of special eventsincluding the annual MS Walk and the MS Bike Tourand public support, the chapter raised $6.02 million in fiscal 2008, passing on more than 80 percent of that revenue to its programs and services. That level places it among the highest-grossing chapters in the National MS Society.

Many of our employees do not have a personal involvement with MS when they come here, says Shepherd-Barnes, but in very short order, they realize a personal connection.

For Washingtonians with MS, those connections are priceless.

In many of Seattles continuing care communitiesthe phrase is an umbrella term that includes retirement homes, nursing homes and adult family homesthere is a single-minded focus on the health and well-being of the residents. Thats a good thing, of course, but it often comes at the expense of the caregivers, aides and administrative staff at those facilities, who are sometimes overworked, overlooked or simply not respected.

But at the Hearthstone, a continuing care community located on the eastern shore of Seattles Green Lake, employees are treated with the same respect and kindness as the residents.

The Hearthstone, established in 1966 by a coalition of Seattle-area Lutheran churches, sets the industry standard for benefits and retention, offering a slew of rare incentives. Those perks include parental and bereavement leave; performance, attendance and longevity bonuses; greatly discounted meals; and use of an on-site fitness center.

The homes workforce responds with elite-level performance and care. The Hearthstone employs 185 workers from 18 different countries, giving it a decidedly international atmosphere. In addition to flexible scheduling, employees are granted extended time off to return to their home countries in the event of family emergencies or illnesses.

Without our employees, the Hearthstone is just a building, says Ron Zuccarelli, director of human resources. Our employees make this place what it is.

So why should a continuing care community go to such lengths? Its simple: When you treat your employees as well as the Hearthstone does, you can rest assured that your residents will be treated well, too.