Meadowood’s Star Horticulturist Wins Prestigious Scholarship for Career Growth
Dawn Keller, Meadowood’s horticulturist, is deserving of this month’s Employee Spotlight. She is the recipient of a LeadingAge PA professional development scholarship. LeadingAge PA is a nonprofit organization advancing aging services and excellence in senior care throughout Pennsylvania. Its 2024 Professional Development Scholarship Program awarded 33 scholarships totaling $40,000 to recipients in the state.
These funds are granted to staff members of LeadingAge Pennsylvania member organizations, such as Meadowood, to promote senior living employee recognition. The funds support their pursuit of various degrees, certifications, and continuing education opportunities. Scholarship applicants were evaluated based on submitted personal statements, professional references, and a demonstrated commitment to advancing their career within aging services. Read more about this year’s LeadingAge scholarships.
Barbara Fritzinger, Meadowood’s VP of Human Resources & Organization Development, encouraged Dawn to apply. And her supervisor, Jeremy Schwenk, was happy to write Dawn a letter of recommendation. Their support reflects Meadowood’s commitment to employees’ career advancement.
Dawn will use the scholarship toward the horticultural therapy certification she is pursuing at Temple University. This 12-credit certificate program provides coursework in plant science, therapy skills and therapy program management. The program focuses on developing the knowledge and skills to engage diverse populations in horticultural activities designed to improve and enhance their physical, cognitive, and emotional well-being.
From a young age, Dawn was drawn to the outdoors. She is eager to share her love of nature with Meadowood residents.
For the past three years, Dawn has been assisting with horticultural therapy at Meadowood. She has taught classes in the McLean Memory Center and in the health center at Holly House and Laurel House. The weekly classes are centered around nature. “We do a lot of different activities,” Dawn says, “from flower arranging to dried flower greeting cards to greenhouse work.” In the fall, her students also work with vegetable crops, seed starting, and flower planters.
In the spring session at Temple, her horticulture therapy class visited various settings to observe their programs. They visited a senior living community, a rehabilitation center, and a Pennsylvania veterans group.
Dawn appreciated the chance to see what other communities are doing. “You’re always looking for new activities, new ideas,” she says. She also saw first-hand the challenges of working with people using walkers and wheelchairs. “It was just great to get fresh ideas.”