Marklund names Employee of the Year

Marklund has announced Yanary Labrador, a 14-year employee of its Hyde Center campus in Geneva, as this year’s Claire Haverkampf Commemorative Award. Having worked in her native homeland of Cuba, she joined Marklund in 2008, a few years after moving to the United States, according to a news release.

Never having worked with people with severe disabilities before coming to Marklund, Labrador used her nurse’s training to thrive as a Personal Support Professional. Over the years, she took additional roles as a perceptor, Marklund ambassador and lead personal support professional, and serves on committees focusing on employee appreciation and diversity, equity and inclusion.

According to one of her nominators, Labrador knows every resident on campus and has developed bonds with them, several of whom have been with her since the day she started.

The award, named after Marklund’s founder, is presented annually to an employee who demonstrates a true commitment to the mission of making everyday life possible for individuals with profound disabilities.