Team UAMS Celebrates at Annual Holiday Party
| Thousands of Team UAMS members embraced the holiday spirit Dec. 12 during the annual Holiday Party.
Festive gatherings also were held Dec. 11-13 at the eight Regional Campuses and off-campus Little Rock clinics whose employees couldn’t come to the event on the main campus.
Many employees said the photo booths were one of their favorite parts of the holiday party.
“I love our annual holiday party,” said Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA. “It is one way we can let all members of Team UAMS know how important they are. Every single member of the team is vital to UAMS.”
This year’s party included photo booths for silly photos with co-workers, a social media photo contest, holiday carolers and of course, lots of delicious food.
To feed Team UAMS, Nutrition Services prepared 200 hams, 240 turkeys, 1,320 pounds of fruit, 1,224 pounds of potatoes, 1,500 pounds of sweet potatoes, 1,500 pounds of green beans, 1,220 pounds of mixed vegetables, 10,000 rolls and 10,000 desserts.
Nutrition Services prepared 200 hams, 240 turkeys, 1,320 pounds of fruit, 1,224 pounds of potatoes, 1,500 pounds of sweet potatoes, 1,500 pounds of green beans, 1,220 pounds of mixed vegetables, 10,000 rolls and 10,000 desserts.
In all, more than 11,000 employees were fed across the UAMS system.
“Last year’s party was a huge hit with employees, so we definitely wanted to do it again,” said Annabeth Collier, UAMS’ employee appreciation coordinator, who helped organize and plan the event. “Throwing a party of this size is a massive undertaking, and there is no way we could have pulled it off without Tonya Johnson and her team from Nutrition Services.”
A production crew of 40 started prepping the meal on Sunday, four days before the event. The cooks came in at 2 a.m. on Dec. 12 to start the day-of cooking, Johnson said.
“I can’t brag on my crew enough,” Johnson said. “They really amaze me at how they all pitch in and work so well together.”
Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, gets a photo taken with some of the holiday party volunteers.
While this year’s event was similar to last year’s, a few significant changes were made, said Collier. First of all, two additional food lines were added to cut down on wait times, a change suggested by Mark Trickey of Nutrition Services.
“Those extra lines were very effective,” said Collier.
A take-out option for employees in direct patient care areas also was added because last year some of those employees missed the meal when they couldn’t leave the floor to come eat. More than 900 orders were placed, far exceeding the 200-300 orders that were expected, Johnson said.
Employees enjoy their meals in the Cafeteria during the holiday party.
In addition to Collier, Johnson and the Nutrition Services crew, the Employee Appreciation Committee helped plan and put on the event. Those members are Liz Bausinger, Cynthia Brown, Natalie Cannady, Marcia Dunbar, Mary Helen Forrest, Chris Kidwell, Amber Marshall, Andrea Peel, Jason Rawn, Trenda Ray, Jill Rush, Gloria Sanders, Penny Talbert and Shelley Young.
Next to the amazing food, many employees said their favorite part of the event was the photo booths. Even campus leaders took a turn in the booths, including Patterson and Robert McGehee, Ph.D., dean of the Graduate School.
Tyrun Haynie, a facilities operation manager in Institutional Support Services, said he definitely enjoyed the photo booth. He even shared his photos on Twitter as part of the social media contest.
The winners of the social media contest were Hunter Rose, a student in the College of Medicine; Carla Lovett, a Campus Operations employee; and Katrina Dupins, a member of the Communications & Marketing team.
Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, and Robert McGehee, Ph.D., dean of the Graduate School, enjoy some laughs in the photo booth.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a holiday party without carolers. Entertaining the crowd this year were Janean Hardister, Marcus Murphy, Bubbles Williams, Anthony Costello, Joanna Delavan and Melisa Clark.
“The carolers did such an amazing job,” said Collier. “They really helped spread the holiday cheer.”
For those involved in planning and putting on the event, it was a labor of love — one that was definitely appreciated by their fellow employees.
“The holiday party provides a great opportunity to take a breather from work for some fun and fellowship,” said Tiffany Haynes, Ph.D., assistant professor in the College of Public Health’s Behavior and Health Education Department. “Additionally, it makes me feel extremely grateful that I am a part of an organization that takes time to show appreciation to its faculty and staff.”
Richard Tatum II, a research assistant in the College of Public Health’s Epidemiology Department, said he loved the holiday party idea. “It shows appreciation on behalf of the administration. As an employee, I appreciate being appreciated.”
Kristen Sterba, Ph.D., associate provost for students and administration, said knowing that UAMS believes it is important to celebrate employees makes her “proud to be a part of Team UAMS. All employees had an opportunity for food and fellowship, and everyone I saw had a smile on their face. It was a great way to start the holiday season.”
What holiday party is complete without carolers?
For Sarah Blalock, a clinical application analyst with the patient access team at University Tower, the best part was being able to catch up with friends and co-workers who work in different areas of UAMS.
Marcia Dunbar, volunteer and special events coordinator and a committee member, said she was happy to be a part of this event.
“UAMS has amazingly hard-working employees who constantly give 110% to our patients, families and staff. It is wonderful that we can share in a day, if only for a few hours, to come together and celebrate this special time together. I love being a part of Team UAMS.”