Faith, Fellowship, and a Heart for Service: “It has truly touched my life to be part of this calling.”
faith-based community by providing meaningful activities residents can enjoy together. Tammy’s day often begins by greeting residents throughout the Victorian Village campus. From there, it quickly becomes a blend of planning, leading, and supporting. She meets with the Life Enrichment team to review upcoming activities and ensure programming meets the needs of each level of care within the continuing care community. Throughout the day, she may be leading activities, attending meetings, connecting with families, assisting team members, or finalizing calendars. Behind the scenes, she is also updating lobby screens, taking photos, posting to social media, shopping for supplies, coordinating volunteer orientation, returning calls, and documenting resident needs. Life Enrichment may appear effortless to residents, but it requires significant coordination and preparation to deliver safe, engaging experiences each day.
While activities are thoughtfully scheduled, Tammy emphasizes the importance of flexibility. “Balancing schedule and spontaneous moments requires flexibility,” she
when they see their loved ones actively participating and engaging in community life. Faith is woven throughout Tammy’s work. She values opportunities to share encouragement and prayer with residents and team members. One recent Bible and Prayer gathering stood out to her because of the meaningful participation from residents. Moments like that reinforce why she continues to invest long hours into her role. “It has truly touched my life to be part of this calling,” she says. “It has helped me faithfully serve my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ within this ministry.” If you ask Tammy which activity best represents her: “Sing along.” She enjoys inviting everyone to participate and believes joy grows when it is shared. At Victorian Village, Tammy’s leadership helps ensure residents experience not just activities, but connection, purpose, and community each day.
explains. “It is about keeping momentum going with what is scheduled while also letting residents shine in special moments and showing compassion for their needs.” Her team often keeps activity supplies close at hand so they can respond when an opportunity for engagement presents itself. For Tammy, a relationship is the foundation of Life Enrichment. She enjoys learning about residents’ backgrounds, families, and interests through casual conversations and formal assessments. “First by listening,” she says when asked how she helps residents feel connected and valued. “Then, by encouraging and connecting residents with our team members.” Families are often surprised by the strong bonds that form
TAMMY TJOELKER Life Enrichment Director, Victorian Village
Tammy Tjoelker did not originally plan to work in senior living. She expected to become an elementary school teacher. Instead, as she describes it, the Lord led her through several learning curves before bringing her to Providence Life Services and into Life Enrichment. What she found was not just a role, but a calling. “I love people first and foremost,” Tammy says. “But to be involved in a variety of activities every single day drew me in because I love the excitement of making people happy.” Tammy describes her job as ministering to seniors in a
The Providence Call 7
Made with FlippingBook Annual report