Details and Dreams – Butterfield is a Place to Belong
Much of the most meaningful work in a senior community happens quietly, behind the scenes. Well-cared-for and clean residences, fresh household linens, confidence that trusted staff will treat personal belongings with respect – these day-to-day aspects may be easy to overlook or take for granted, but are essential to the comfort, dignity and peace of mind of every resident.
Butterfield’s Housekeeping Lead Christa Ivy understands this and takes it to heart – evidenced by the irrepressible warmth and kindness that shines through her smile and into her work. Leading by example and with the benefit of years of earned experience, Christa helps guide the team of staff who daily support approximately 430 residents in their own personal spaces. The job of a housekeeper calls for consistency, careful attention, consideration and trust. It also creates opportunities for genuine connection, the thing that means the most to Christa. She has found that dependable service becomes something more: a real relationship that residents and their families rely on. She cherishes those connections.
That trust first took root in Butterfield’s laundry room. Christa visited the campus one day, stopping by to see her husband’s aunt, Sandy Gullidge, who worked there. She was immediately struck by the residents she met in passing. Impressed and ready for a change after twenty years of doing the tough work of dry cleaning, she applied for a housekeeping job in hopes it could be an opportunity to get her in the door. Butterfield invited her to take a position in the laundry area.
Christa brought order to an environment that had been running erratically and found an unexpected reward in hearing residents’ reactions to their freshly folded linens. “I see the older generation of women as the ones who paved my path for me. It wasn’t so easy for them. I was finally able to do something I knew mattered to all of them,” she says. “I not only got a paycheck, I felt good.” Her work ethic caught the attention of Assistant Director of Facilities John Washington, who urged her to recognize she was “worth more than what she saw in the mirror.” He pushed her to grow. Partnering closely with her supervisor, Larry Coyle, has also inspired her and helped set her sights on doing more.
Thanks especially to John’s encouragement, Christa recently enrolled in courses to complete her high school diploma, with a dream of one day attending business school to take her career beyond its current scope. Such hopes once felt distant. Now, Christa says, “They’re closer. They’re more seeable today than they ever have been before.”
Ask Christa what she loves most about Butterfield, and she doesn’t hesitate: “My favorite thing is the belonging. I have found a place to belong.” That warmth is something she works hard to pass along, even on hard days. Her husband’s health struggles have taught her to lean on her faith. “There’s a silver lining to everything,” she says. “Sometimes it’s very, very small, and you can’t see it yet. You just have to look for it.” She carries that outlook into work, choosing to demonstrate positivity rather than let any personal hardship show.
Christa’s personal dreams are also feeling more within reach. She would love to travel and finally see a beach – perhaps in Florida, Georgia or California. Colorado, where she briefly lived when she was young, is calling her back. Her ideal trip might involve an RV, open road and time with her treasured granddaughter. Christa brings her generous spirit to everything she does, remembering that loving care is not only shown through grand gestures. It’s in the daily details, and in finding people willing to help you grow.
