A “Shining Star” at Wyndemere

Sometimes, the brightest stars aren’t in the sky; they’re right here on earth.  Penny Schneider is one of them.  She is a staff member in the Wyndemere Senior Living Campus’ facilities and environment services department, and her days are busy ones.  Penny handles everything from scheduling room requests to managing the contractors and suppliers that keep Wyndemere humming smoothly.

It’s Penny’s extra efforts that set her apart – and why she is being honored with a Shining Star award.  Penny will receive the award from the Life Services Network, an association that represents senior living communities throughout Illinois.  The award recognizes individuals who consistently go above and beyond the call of duty.

Penny’s efforts have made a difference to the residents at Wyndemere and to the surrounding community.  She headed a team to plan and organize Wyndemere’s award-winning recycling program.  Penny was the driving force behind the effort: organizing a resident committee; planning the logistics for the recycling program and helping to spread the word about Wyndemere’s recycling efforts by publishing a booklet and producing a presentation on recycling.  The result?  Wyndemere was the first retirement community in the country to be awarded the Earth flag for their recycling achievements.

“I love keeping busy, so this is the perfect job for me,” said Penny. And keeping busy is no problem for Penny.  This past year, she also helped launch an in-house TV channel, served on the Safety Committee and worked with the Wyndemere Resident Council on the Building & Grounds Committee.  “I’ve been at Wyndemere for almost 10 years.  I love talking with our residents and hearing more of the history each of them has to share. Working with our residents is the best part of my job.”