Willow Heights’ Linda Rizzo is an ALFA Hero nominee

MCKEES ROCKS, Pa. - Jan. 22, 2015 - PRLog -- When Linda Rizzo first joined the IntegraCare’s Willow Heights team 16 years ago, the senior living community still was under construction.

    Rizzo’s “office” was located inside a trailer adjacent to the construction zone. That didn’t deter Rizzo from bringing a positive outlook to the Willows. Not much has changed since 1999.

    An administrative assistant at Willow Heights, Rizzo carries out many duties while assisting visitors and attending to residents’ needs. Regardless of the task, her upbeat and positive approach makes an impression on those who interact with Rizzo.

    “There are some people that have personal qualities of kindness, grace and patience such that they elevate the environment wherever they are,” said Rick Irwin, co-founder and CEO of IntegraCare, which operates 12 senior living communities in Pennsylvania and Maryland. “That is characteristic of Linda. For many years, she has served the seniors at the Willows. She has made the Willows that much of a better place to live.”

    Rizzo, 58, is a nominee for the prestigious Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) Hero Award. The award recognizes individuals who are ideal representatives of the hundreds of thousands of people serving in senior living communities.

    “It’s a humbling experience and an honor to be nominated for such a meaningful award,” Rizzo said. “I share this nomination with all of the team at Willow Heights and our truly special residents and their family members. These are the people who make it such a privilege to come to work every day.”

    Voting for the ALFA Hero Award finalists will begin on January 28. Visit http://www.alfa.org/alfa/Hero_Awards.asp or www.integracare.com for details. The top 5 finalists will be named ALFA Hero Award winners during the 2015 ALFA Conference and Expo on May 4-7 in Tampa, Fla.

    “Linda is a deserving nominee for the ALFA Hero Award,” said Sara Delio, Executive Director at Willow Heights. “She has been with the community since before the building was even completed, and has touched the lives of countless residents.”

    “Linda knows and cares about everyone she interacts with on a very personal and genuine level,” Delio said. “She takes time to check on you and make sure that your day is going all right, and if not, you can bet she will try to do something to make it better. Her thoughtfulness and kindness go above and beyond daily, and there is no one more deserving of this award.”

      Rizzo resides in Robinson Township with her husband and two children. She will be a first-time grandmother this summer.

     “I’ll be here 16 years in March, and I’m very proud of that,” Rizzo said. “I just feel that this is where I belong. Even growing up, our neighbors were elderly people and I always felt a connection to them. Working at the front desk, you become like extended family. You become attached. There is a special relationship between the residents and us at the front desk.”

    Butch Cassiday is Executive Director at IntegraCare’s Pines of Mount Lebanon. He held the same position at Willow Heights and saw Rizzo’s impact first-hand.

     “She is amazing at what she does, the way she can touch a resident’s heart,” Cassiday said. “No matter how stressful the day is and no matter what she has going on, everything stops when a resident approaches her so that she may help that resident.”

“Every day her devotion is to bringing light into the residents’ lives,” Cassiday continued. “People are drawn to Linda because of her genuine likeability.”