Marina Charles has been named Employee of the Month at Bethel’s 200-bed Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. As a staff member for almost 20 years, Marina has spent the last 11 years as a CNA on the memory-impaired, Van Gogh unit. Prior to that, she had been assigned to both the Monet and Degas units, having begun her career at Bethel as a floater.
She said she was shocked to hear her name called as the Employee of the Month during the Staff Meeting. “I was crossing my fingers for a co-worker who I thought was going to be chosen. It was a very humbling moment for me,” says Marina.
“I love my job,” she continued, “because I love people. It is very fulfilling to me to know that I can help people who cannot help themselves. It can be challenging at times, but when I leave here at the end of the day I have a clear conscience, and heart, knowing that I helped someone.”
Says BNRC Administrator, Jill Smoller, “Anyone who meets Marina is immediately taken with her warmth and kindness. She is hard-working, compassionate and beyond dedicated!”
Jill continued, “Marina is always ready to help anyone who needs it and she does it all with a smile and genuine empathy. She is a real treasure.”
“I try to encourage people to be leaders, not followers, and to do the right thing,” says Marina.
In her spare time, she enjoys reading her Bible and singing in her church’s choir. A member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Wappingers Falls, where she is a Head Usher, Marina says, “I love my church! It is an important part of my life.”
A resident of Beacon, Marina is originally from St. Lucia and is part of a large family. Although her parents still reside there, she has three sisters, a brother, nieces and nephews living here in the U.S. with whom she spends time.
