Finding Your Voice at CKV
Finding one’s voice is a lovely idiom, used to describe a significant step in the evolution of an artist (often a writer) or an individual. At Cross Keys Village, we have team members finding their voice in the literal sense after joining our workforce. “Being encouraged to make music at work should be listed as an employment benefit at Cross Keys Village,” says Oliver Hazan, VP of Sales and Marketing. “It tells a lot about our organization as it helps team members cultivate their inner potential in a multitude of ways.”
In practice, Cross Keys workers who are musically inclined enjoy numerous occasions to play their instruments, or to sing. Singing holds a unique place on our campus, even among team members who had never sung a note in public prior to joining us. Community Life extends an open invitation to entertain residents in an informal setting, if only to sing “Happy Birthday” in passing. Our recently renovated Sage Room, for instance, is a peaceful environment where you may encounter a member of our finance team singing while playing his mandolin for individuals in the later stages of dementia.
Our morning closed-circuit TV show is likely to open with a sacred song from our Staff Education Coordinator. Our large-scale Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon and Team Holiday Party always feature homegrown talent. Friendships are sealed in the process: a foursome representing Personal Care, Pastoral Care, Nursing and Marketing organizes a gospel program that has become one of the best-attended events in Nicarry Meetinghouse. Chaplain Kim Witkovsky, who belongs to this small group shares: “We believe we are answering God’s call in our lives with our music ministry, pointing the people to Him in our faith witness.”
Our culture of trust, exemplified by what we call the Cross Keys Promise, encourages us to speak up and dream aloud. It is only fitting that many of us are dispensing tunes along the way.