In early December, City of East Lansing employees came together to celebrate the holidays, reflect on the passing of another year and recognize the hard work of fellow co-workers at the 2008 Employee Holiday Luncheon. As always, the event was outstanding and very well attended thanks to the hard work of Jody Kimble, Sally Schepis and the many members of the Employee Holiday Luncheon Awards Committee.

Among the many employees recognized for their years of service to the City, there were a small handful honored for 25 and even 30 years of service. Jeff Johnston, superintendent at our Waste Water Treatment Planet, has been a part of our City of East Lansing family for an astounding three decades. His professionalism and hard work over the years has not gone unnoticed. He has shown true dedication to our City and we are proud to have someone like him out at WWTP.

Those recognized for 25 years of service included Sheryl Anderson, an employee in the East Lansing Police Department’s Records Bureau; Cynthia Brundage, an employee with the East Lansing 54-B District Court; Greg Tracy, a captain with the East Lansing Fire Department; and David Vincent, an officer with the East Lansing Police Department. Their time, service and dedication to the City of East Lansing is commendable and we thank them for everything they have done over their 25 years with us.

In addition to recognizing employees for their years of service, a number of employees were nominated and selected by their co-workers to be honored for their above-and-beyond service and accomplishments in 2008. The Employee of the Year award went to Laurie Hoffman, administrative assistant to the East Lansing City Council and the East Lansing City Manager. Having worked closely with Laurie, I can say firsthand that she is the epitome of a professional member of our staff. And while I didn’t have a direct hand in her nomination, I couldn’t think of someone more deserving to receive such an honor.

The Rookie of the Year award went to Lori Baetz for her professionalism and ability to make a huge difference in a short period of time in her new role with the Engineering Department at our Department of Public Works. And the East Lansing Department of Public Works’ nine-person Street Department received the Outstanding Service award for keeping East Lansing streets safe in winter of 2008 (and they have already excelled again this winter). Last but not least, the Team of the Year award went to the Avondale Square Team. The Avondale Square Team has brought a complex neighborhood project to fruition that is sure to change the face of one of East Lansing’s target neighborhoods. Through coordination with multiple public and private partners and funding sources, this team has made a project come together that will assist qualifying families in buying homes with assistance packages through East Lansing’s Hometown Housing Partnership.

While the Employee Holiday Luncheon was about recognition of employees within our own organization, the event also resulted in the collection of more than seven 96-gallon containers of food and household goods for Haven House. Employees were asked to bring one item to the event and at the end of the day overflowing bins were delivered to the women and children of the Haven House shelter. Your donations were greatly appreciated by those who run the shelter and certainly those who benefit from the services they offer. The collection was just one of many great efforts by City employees to reach out a hand to those in need in our greater community and we thank all of you who made a donation to the cause.