citizensmemorial.com 11 The TULIP Award is the CMH equivalent of the DAISY Award, and it recognizes outstanding nursing and medical assistants and patient care technicians who assist in direct patient care. “There are no words to describe what I felt as a mother knowing she had won this award,” says Manes. “It was nice that someone had noticed what I had known all along about Meleah.” CONTINUINGTHE LEGACY There’s no doubt that Manes instilled a heart for caring in her daughter that Johnson is now passing on to her own children. Over Johnson’s many years at CMHCF, her children have spent countless hours at the facility and with the residents—so much time that it has become a cherished activity. “Since my kids were itty-bitty, they have said, ‘Can we go see all my grandmas and grandpas?’” Johnson says. Her kids are older now but still want to see their “grandmas and grandpas” at CMHCF, especially on Halloween. “It lights up all the residents’ faces to see them,” Johnson says about her children’s regular visits to the facility. The Halloween tradition now includes other members of her family. “It’s just grown from there,” she says. “Now all of my sisters’ kids go, my kids go—everybody goes— because they want to go trick-or-treat with all their grandmas and grandpas.” In explaining the emphasis her family puts on caring, Johnson says, “Passing down the legacy of caring to every generation is a big part of our family.” This legacy of caring is evident in everything Manes and Johnson do. They truly are making a positive impact on their patients, their families and their co-workers that will last a lifetime. FOLLOWING IN HER FOOTSTEPS Johnson credits her mother for being the reason she became interested in nursing. “It was a lot to do with my mom, because she is the same way I am—we both care about everyone and we would do anything for them,” she says. It was this shared caring spirit that motivated Johnson to continue the family legacy. She earned her CNA license while still in high school through the Bolivar High School Health Occupations Program and began working for CMHCF soon after receiving her license. Johnson has since worked for CMH for more than 19 years and says the love for her residents is what has kept her working at CMHCF for all these years. It’s because of her love for her residents that she won the December 2021 TULIP Award. DYNAMIC DUO Mendy Manes, LPN, and her daughter, Meleah Johnson, CNA, both longtime CMH employees, have a heart for caring. Go to cmhbolivar.info/ legacyofcaring to watch their exclusive interview.
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