2023 Pauline Spatz Leadership Award Recipient: Liz Flogeras

The 7^th annual Pauline Spatz Leadership Award was presented to Liz Flogeras of Quispamsis, NB. Liz is a wife, a mother, a powerhouse volunteer and community leader. She supports her community in a number of ways, including volunteering at Shannex and at her local church.

Liz spends much of her time at Shannex’s Embassy Hall in Quispamsis, caring for both her family member who lives there as well as the other residents and even their families. Liz was nominated by a family member of a resident of Embassy Hall who initially thought Liz was a staff member because of how involved she is at the facility. In their words: “She was extraordinary. She was everywhere, attending to everyone.”

As a formal volunteer at Embassy Hall, Liz helps the Recreation Coordinator organize activities, spends time chatting with residents and providing companionship, takes residents in wheelchairs around the facility as needed, and introduces residents to one another to encourage a community atmosphere.

Liz makes a difference for the residents of Embassy Hall by:

• Co-creating the Family Peer Support Group at Embassy Hall, a monthly group for family members of residents to get emotional and practical support.
• Sitting on the NB Enhanced Care Resident and Family Council.
• Actively engaging with the Office of the Seniors’ Advocate in the systemic review of New Brunswick’s Long-Term Care sector on behalf of the residents and families of Embassy Hall.
• Continuing to maintain and grow a beautiful flower garden in Embassy Hall’s backyard.
• Making treats every Wednesday and personally handing them out to each of the 72 residents.

In addition to the work she does at Embassy Hall, Liz is also a strong member of her local United Church, spending hours at the church each week leading various programs to help others. Through her church, Liz spearheads many annual initiatives, including knitting sweaters, organizing blanket and clothing drives and making lap blankets for premature babies at the Saint John Regional Hospital.

Here are a few of the ways Liz makes a difference with her church:

• Led several clothing drives through her church for people in northern Newfoundland and Labrador communities, sending 22 boxes of clothing and 2 large bags of blankets and also organized a coffee break fundraiser to cover shipping costs.
• Engaged her congregation to sew and tie quilts, delivering 41 blankets to Romero House, 18 blankets to KV ExtraMural patients, 77 to the Joshua Group, and 35 blankets to the Northern Project.

Liz lives a life of service, whether it be for her immediate family, her work family, her Embassy Hall community or her larger church community. She is a natural leader who is not only about “having and idea,” but also jumps in and implements projects, either alone or together with others.

The following is a quote from Liz’s nomination letter: “Liz is a role model for the families and staff at Embassy Hall, and through her passion for raising the bar on every aspect of care for residents in our community here at Embassy, she has created a culture of cohesion and caring among family members. Simply put, Liz has made our world a better place.”