National Nursing Home Week 2019 – A Letter from the President

Another National Nursing Home Week – which doubles as Employee Appreciation Week at Concordia – is in the books, and we had a blast celebrating the awesomeness of our team members! (Read more for photos)

Employee Appreciation Week at Concordia includes a themed dress down day each day of the week, a snack or meal each day and a special gift for each employee. This year’s gift was a really nice multi-purpose laptop bag, as you can see in many of the photos below! Another great part about the week is that it gives Concordia President & CEO Keith Frndak the chance to thank our MANY employees.

Here is the note from Mr. Frndak that was published in our employee newsletter yesterday. Take a look, and then enjoy the MANY (nearly 200!!) photos we have below from the week! And if you’re feeling extra bold, visit the Careers section of our website to see about joining the Concordia family. Last, if you follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, you can like, comment and share most of these photos, since we’ve been posting them all week. Go check it out!

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Dear friends,

As Concordia’s mission has grown in my 36 years here – whether it’s by adding existing facilities, building new ones, starting new service lines or partnering with other organizations – I’ve always understood that the reason we’re able to succeed is because we have excellent employees. You all are the fuel that keeps this ministry going, and I am so thankful for each and every one of you.

Because of our growth, I regret that I don’t get to spend time with every employee like I used to, back when Concordia was a single-site organization with only 88 employees and 88 residents. There are a few things I’d like to remind everyone about:

1) Concordia started in 1881 as an orphanage and later a home for the aged, after a widow named Margaretha Oertel gifted us her farm, and Lutheran pastors/congregations worked together to fill a great need in the Pittsburgh area. As we continue to grow, I don’t want us to forget where we came from. It’s a miracle that we survived some of those tough decades early on, even two World Wars, and we must remember that this is where we get our ideals, work ethic and dedication to serving those in need.

2) Concordia serves over 40,000 people per year now. That’s A LOT of people who rely on us. It’s also a huge responsibility. Please don’t take your part lightly. Whether you work in nursing, rehab, direct caregiving, housekeeping, laundry, food service, maintenance, administrative or any other area, what you do MATTERS. I know it, our Board of Directors knows it, and our patients/residents know it. I pray that you do too.

3) Concordia cares for hundreds of people who can no longer afford the cost of their care. Just as important, most of these people have no idea that they are receiving assistance. We treat everyone with the dignity, respect and love that we would give to our own family. I hope that makes you as proud as it makes me.

Our mission statement is to serve our aging community with a continuum of high quality caregiving options, provided in a Christian environment, and to serve those with limited funds to the best of our ability. I’m blessed to say that because of you and your dedication, that mission is thriving. During National Nursing Home/Employee Appreciation Week and every other day of the year, thank you.

In His Service,

Keith E. Frndak
President & CEO

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