Did you know that Willow Brook’s community relations team numbers in the thousands? It’s true. Cathy and Christina, the duo behind this blog, are only two people, so who is, and where is the rest of the team?
Before we answer that, let’s start with what Cathy, the director of community relations, and Christina, the social media coordinator, do. To condense our rather-long job descriptions, we work to keep Willow Brook’s good name circulating in the community, in a variety of ways.
Unlike some community relations roles, we are not salespeople, at least not in the way you may think. Our jobs are both inward-facing (for example, sending out staff and family updates via e-mail and text, and creating marketing materials) and outward-facing (such as sponsoring community events and creating connections to help spread the word about Willow Brook and its services). Some things we do, like maintaining the website and designing and editing the quarterly Reflections newsletter, are a combination of the two.
But sharing Willow Brook’s good name takes more than two people. And that’s where our extended team comes in.
Our extended team includes every Willow Brook staff person. Yes, every one. These are the amazing people who create and deliver the day-to-day Willow Brook experience. They are often selfless, putting residents first in every situation. These teammates are compassionate professionals, experts in their fields, servant leaders, and every other good descriptor we can think of. They embody what Willow Brook is all about and paint a picture for the community of what to expect from us, what it is like to live here, to attend programs here, rehabilitate here, or have a respite stay. We are not perfect, but we have hearts for this ministry–see the little heart in our logo? Whether or not you realize it, your experience with our staff leaves an impression–an important one. And that impression is also a critical part of community relations.
In much the same way, Willow Brook residents and their families are incredible ambassadors in the community. Word of mouth has played a key role in getting new people through our doors, because residents and families always tell it like it is! These opinions are important to us and remind us that community relations often starts inside our communities.
Additionally, many of our residents help our community relations team by taking photos around campus, stepping up to assist with events, brainstorming ways to provide better communication within our buildings, serving as resident representatives on the Willow Brook board of trustees, and even organizing storage closets! We are indeed a multi-talented team.
In summary, we realize that when some people hear the term “community relations,” they may not think of it in exactly the same way we do–as something that includes more than our designated community relations employees, but also our staff, residents, and families. However, we think this is a perfect example of what we affectionately call the “Willow Brook Way,” which is a phrase intended to sum up the special way we do things here at Willow Brook. And community relations is no exception.
