UAMS Gets into Holiday Spirit with Employee Celebration
More than 1,000 pounds of potatoes were prepared for the Dec. 6 and Dec. 7 employee celebrations.
| The holiday spirit was alive and well at UAMS as thousands of employees descended on the cafeteria Thursday, Dec. 6, for a turkey or ham dinner and all the fixins’. The festivities also occurred around the state at the various Regional Campuses.
Night and off-site employees weren’t left out of the fun. Employees at University Tower, Education Building South and Freeway Medical Building were shuttled over to eat at the cafeteria. Employees on the hospital’s night shift were able to pick up their meals at the Lobby Café’, and holiday fare was delivered to off-site clinics on Friday, Dec. 7.
Nutrition Services catered the meal. To prepare a feast for 9,000 employees, Tonya Johnson, director of Nutrition Services, and her staff cooked 240 turkeys, 220 hams, 1,050 pounds of potatoes, 1,425 pounds of sweet potatoes, 1,500 pounds of mixed vegetables, 950 pounds of green beans and 1,200 pounds of fruit. Enough cakes and pies were baked to provide 9,000 slices.
Lots of UAMS employees enjoyed the festive photo booth, including Rhonda M. Smith, R.N., (left) and Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA.
“This was a herculean effort, and I can’t praise my staff enough for all of the work they put into this meal,” said Johnson.
Johnson said her team fed 5,000 people at the Dec. 6 lunch and another 1,200 that evening. Volunteers delivered 750 meals on Friday, and fed another 1,600 employees on the weekend.
The holiday celebration was the idea of Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, who wanted an event that would bring all of UAMS together.
Employees at the Northwest Regional Campus smile for the camera. Employees at the Regional Campuses also enjoyed a festive feast on Dec. 6.
“I knew it would be a big job to pull off a celebration for all of UAMS’ 10,000-plus employees around the state,” said Patterson. “I am so impressed with the remarkable job that Nutrition Services and the committee did. I know I had a wonderful time at the celebration, and I hope the rest of Team UAMS did as well.”
Christina Clark, interim senior vice chancellor for campus operations and information technology, led the committee in charge of making the event happen. Committee members included Johnson, College of Health Professions Dean Susan Long, Deborah Taylor, Laura Gocio, Penny Talbert, Shelley Young, Clinton Everhart, Teresa Broady, Susan McDougal, Leslie Jordan, Jill Rush, Amber Marshall, Bonnie Hipp, C.J. Carrell, Kyle Curry, Andrea Peel, Elizabeth Bausinger, Dollie Resh, Jessica Bursk, George Hull and Summer Khairi. Campus leaders, members of the House of Delegates and other employees also volunteered to help.
Heart of the Rock, featuring Kendra Henderson from Parking Operations (back row, center) sing holiday carols during the celebration.
Of course, no holiday feast would be complete without carolers. George Hankins-Hull and Ernie Bailey oversaw the entertainment portion of the event, recruiting frequent Holly Days performers, including Janean Hardister, Luke Johnson, Anthony Costello, Melisa Clark and Heart of the Rock, featuring Kendra Henderson. Hull also led a singalong with Jane Corley, Marcia Dunbar, Jennifer Huie, Jan Shorey, M.D., and Richard Wheeler, M.D.
Tonya Johnson helps sort canned goods that were donated during the employee celebrations.
“One of the most amazing things about this celebration was how many people from across campus were involved,” said Clark. “From the incredible crew in Nutrition Services and the committee that planned this celebration to the campus leaders who were handing out gifts, so many people volunteered their time to serve their fellow employees.”