McKnight’s honored more than 50 women leaders in the long-term care, senior living and home care fields this spring with its return to a grand in-person Women of Distinction Awards ceremony and forum.
The celebration at the historic W Chicago – City Center hotel brought together some of the sector’s brightest long-time executives, mid-career professionals and up-and-comers who are making their mark. It was followed the next day by a series of insightful, educational panels offered at the McKnight’s Women of Distinction Forum.
New this year were the Spirit Awards, which paid homage to workers who delivered amazing inspiration through devotion to their residents and employers during the pandemic.
The 2022 Women of Distinction Lifetime Achievement Award went to Patricia G. Will, founder and CEO of Belmont Village Senior Living. During the forum, Will described how she transitioned to senior care from real estate after helping care for her mother-in-law.
“We have a tremendous competitive advantage, ladies,” Will said, referring to the prevalence of women as both residents and caregivers. “I think this is an industry that lends itself to female leadership.”
She also noted the need for women leaders to retain their own sense of work-life balance and help employees find it, especially in the current labor environment.
“It’s incumbent upon us as leaders to put ourselves back in the shoes where we were once upon a time and help people with their logistics,” Will said. “It wasn’t easy then, and it’s not easy now.”
Dinner and, oh, what a show
The mood at the May 12 awards dinner was one of resilience, as well as jubilation at being able to come together after two years of virtual events. More than 300 guests attended from across the US, including a handful of WOD honorees from the last two years who received their awards during 2020 and 2021 online events.
Winners, family members, colleagues and other industry players first mingled inside the grand lobby of the Beaux-Arts style W Hotel, which features soaring ceilings and dramatic arched stone doorways. Kicking off the night were a photo booth and open bar, which proved complementarily popular. Attendees were treated to a seated dinner as the sold-out main event got underway.
Each honoree was beckoned to the stage by hostess Alle Pierce, an Emmy Award-winning journalist and hostess, who kept the proceedings lively. Recipients chose their own walk-up songs, with the likes of Beyonce’s “Run the World (Girls),” the Bee Gees’ “Staying Alive” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” helping fuel the fun.
Two lucky tables won champagne toasts, further livening the evening as Pierce acknowledged the 54 winners in the Hall of Honor, Veteran VIPS, Rising Stars and Spirit Award categories.
Honorees were nominated by colleagues earlier this year. They were then selected by an independent national panel of judges in spring.
Dedication and heroism on display
As McKnight’s Senior Living Editor Lois Bowers noted in her welcoming remarks, this was the largest class of award winners and the largest party since McKnight’s launched the Women of Distinction program in 2019. At the time, no one could have imagined the dedication and heroism that would be required of everyone during the upcoming pandemic.
“We are honored to continue to fulfill a need to recognize the outstanding women in long-term care, whose work often goes unrecognized or is taken for granted,” Bowers told the crowd. “Especially during these times, which continue to challenge the industry and those who work in it, we are inspired by your efforts to make the world a better place and humbled that so many of you made the time to lift up your colleagues for recognition — and came here tonight to celebrate.”
Full details on the program, including a photo gallery of all the 2022 winners and a judges list, are at mcknightswomenofdistinction.com.
Nominations for next year’s awards program, the fifth annual, will kick off in December. Honorees will be celebrated at a spring 2023 celebration rivaling this year’s most memorable event.
PointClickCare was the Diamond sponsor of the 2022 McKnight’s Women of Distinction Awards program. OnShift and PharMerica were Silver sponsors. The Bronze sponsor was Reliant Rehabilitation. Table sponsors included Dreamscape, Gojo/Purell and Sound Physicians.
From the July/August 2022 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
