Jim's CEO Blog: June 2012

Second to hockey, my next favorite sporting event is the Olympics, so as the hockey season winds down, I am excited for the onset of the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Seniorsfirst recently held its annual employee & volunteer recognition luncheon at the world-class Oak Hill Country Club, and when I addressed our honorees I couldn't help but relate my remarks to the upcoming Olympics.

I began by sharing some Olympic trivia about the games being held in London, England this Summer. Did you know that...........

there will be 27 different sporting categories this year (including canoeing, handball and judo)
there will be a total of 302 gold medals in contention
there will be approximately 10,500 athletes competing this year
205 countries will be represented
Woman boxing will be making its debut as an Olympic sport
The 5 Olympic rings represent the 5 major regions of the world (Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania)

I referenced the Olympics for a reason, because I think of our staff and volunteers as Olympians in their own right. Think about what makes an Olympian.

Good Genes- like so many of our staff, Olympians come from good stock with a strong foundation, heritage and upbringing.
Strong Work Ethic- reliable, committed, responsible, focused and hard workers.
Passionate- they love what they do and desire to be the best.
Faith- they believe in themselves, their goals and never give up despite the challenges.
Support- they don't do it alone but receive training, coaching, encouragement & team-building.
Years of Practice- it takes time, training, learning, practice and experience to be the best.

And so, we paid tribute to our 2012 Seniorsfirst Olympians- our staff, our board members, our volunteers who have champion-like attributes worthy of a Gold Medal. Thank you for your years of service, your support, your faith, your work ethic and your good genes.