07/24/2026
It's Friday, one of our favorite days of the week...and the perfect time to share one of our fabulous team members with you! π
Join us in congratulating Katie Bauer on her one-year workiversary with Summit! Katie is an OT at Villa St. Francis...and if you don't know her, you should! She worked with us PRN several years prior to joining us full-time, and we're so glad she's with us. π
π When we asked Katie what her favorite Summit work memory is, she had such a great response. She told us it was hard to choose because there have been so many meaningful moments during her time at Villa St. Francis. If she had to pick just one, it would have to be helping residents truly live a meaningful, high-quality life while rediscovering the passions and leisure activities they enjoyed before coming to Villa.
One specific example that stood out to her was gardening. The therapy team, alongside several Villa residents, revitalized the beautiful raised garden beds on the back patio. Now, every day, one of the residents lovingly tends to the garden by watering the plants and checking on her pepper plants. Watching her reconnect with something she loves and take pride in caring for the garden has been incredibly rewarding. πΊ
π When we asked Katie what she thinks is the most rewarding part of her job, she told us that goes hand in hand with her favorite memory. It is seeing the joy on a person's face when something finally clicks - when they accomplish something they couldn't do the day before. Whether it's a family member noticing their loved one can now feed themselves with their non-dominant hand after struggling for so long, or watching someone rediscover the joy of an activity they loved earlier in life, those moments are incredibly meaningful.
After 20 years as an occupational therapist, she still finds these successes just as rewarding as she did when she first started. Katie told us that it is an honor to help people overcome trauma, adapt to life's challenges, and regain their independence so they can live their lives to the fullest. Those moments of resilience, growth, and renewed purpose are what make being an OT so fulfilling. π
Thank you, Katie, for your service with Summit! We are so glad you are with our team, and we appreciate everything that you do each and every day! β¨