All staff, faculty, and students of Ross Medical Education Center in Roosevelt Park, Michigan take social responsibility very seriously. They stand by the Ross Core Value that states: “We will promote and encourage active community involvement through volunteering and financial support.” In light of this, earlier this month, Campus Director Lisa Picard and Career Services Representative Toni Hamilton represented their campus by becoming even bigger parts of the community as they officially became Muskegon STARs.
A group of campaign coordinators have partnered to produce a new community specialist program called Muskegon STAR. Education is one of the three pillars of the community-wide image campaign, along with beautification and marketing. Lisa, Toni, and other members of the staff are also involved in the beautification process through the United Way. This particular educational training program is one of the ways in which area organizations plan to improve the community’s image. The half day training consisted of delivering information about the community’s assets and how to share this information using a variety of customer service skills. At the conclusion of the program, participants are administered a test and then become certified Muskegon STARs!
“While it’s vitally important to train our community’s frontline selling staff, it’s equally as important to train our community residents and job seekers,” said Brittany Lenertz, Deputy Director for Michigan Works! Muskegon-Oceana. “With more than 1,000 local jobs to fill, educating job seekers on how to sell the community and providing them with the customer service training to do it, is critical in so many industries across the community.” It is also a great way to network and become a part of something at a larger scale.
Both Lisa and Toni received their official certifications with the title of Muskegon County Certified Community Information Specialists. They received a Muskegon STAR pin and certification award. “I was very excited about the opportunity to attend the Muskegon STAR event. As a lifelong resident of Muskegon County, I have so much pride for my community and all that it offers,” Toni Hamilton shared. “It was a great experience to attend an event that brought together individuals that share in that pride and who desire to help make others aware of what our County has to offer.” To have the ability to be a part of their community while offering resources to both their own students and the public is just a part of the vision at the Roosevelt Park campus.