“I knew several staff couldn’t make it in, and so I decided to head out and do what I could,” said Laura Rochefort. Rochefort has been working at UPAWS for about eight and a half years and drove all the way from West Ishpeming through the storm on Sunday. “I debated staying, but ultimately didn’t because I have a hospice cat that needs meds daily and wanted to make sure I was there for her. I can’t give enough thanks to Theresa and Addie for staying!”

Rochefort’s fellow UPAWS employees Theresa and Addie stayed the night at the shelter after working their shifts on Sunday.

“It was a big team effort with those here,” said Rochefort. “One of us started working on cleaning and feeding cats while another started getting the dogs around. The most difficult might have been trying to get some of the dogs outside long enough for them to go to the bathroom. Some absolutely enjoyed being out and about in the weather!”

Workers at Michigan Veteran Homes D.J. Jacobetti also had to work together to fill shift gaps, due to many workers not being able to make it through the storm.

A staff member walks a dog during the recent storm. (Photo courtesy of UPAWS)

“Typically in the home we have around 110 employees that come in per day from all departments,” said Chris Lajoie, interim administrator at Michigan Veteran Homes D.J. Jacobetti. “The day of the storm, we had just under 50 employees that ended up being able to get into work throughout the day. Normally between 55-60 nursing employees come in, and less than half were able to get here.

“Some individuals planned early and came in the night before. We had some vacant rooms we set up for people to sleep in. We had at least three staff that snowshoed into work, some over a mile away. They snowshoed in, worked 16 hours and snowshoed home, then did the same thing the next day.”

Despite the storm and the reduced staff, the activities staff still managed to put on St. Patrick’s day activities for residents.

“We had people that took on different roles; some of our admin staff that were here worked and moved carts from the kitchen to the dining room so our kitchen staff could focus on making food, and they also did housekeeping.”

Even after the storm ended, the work wasn’t over. Gwinn received some of the highest snowfall totals in the Upper Peninsula, and the UPAWS building ended up nearly buried.

“It was a massive team effort to get our building unburied from drifts reaching over eight feet tall,” said Ryan McLaren, UPAWS staff member. “While my coworkers Nikki, her husband, and Laura worked from the top to shovel the snow down, I used our tractor mounted snowblower to clear the way.

“It took nearly four hours of intense work just to clear the doors and essential areas around the building. We are also incredibly grateful to our plowing company, who brought in several loaders to finally get the parking lot operational again.”

“That kind of dedication is truly above and beyond, and we are so proud of them,” said Ann Brownell, who does community outreach at UPAWS. The Facebook post Brownell shared about Laura, Theresa and Addie racked up thousands of likes, comments and shares from community members thanking them for their work.

“The response has just been really wonderful,” said Bronwell. “People have been so kind and supportive and it truly means a lot to all of us here.

“We’ve had so many comments, messages, and shares from the community, just thanking Laura, Theresa, and Addie for being there for the animals during the storm. That kind of support really lifts up the staff, especially after a couple of long and challenging days.

“It’s been very touching to see. We’ve been sharing those messages with them, and it really does make a difference. It just reminds all of us how much this community cares about the animals and the people who take care of them.”

“This community cares deeply about animals, and that shows in moments like this,” said Bronwell.” We are so thankful — not just for the support during the storm, but for the ongoing compassion you show to the animals and to our team every day. Thank you, from all of us at UPAWS.”

LaJoie also voiced admiration and thanks to the Jacobetti workers who went above and beyond during the blizzard.

“It’s been overall a team effort,” said LaJoie. “Our floor staff were phenomenal. Nobody complained, they just wanted to make sure our people were taken care of and that their needs were met. Thankfully we didn’t experience any power outages and there were no emergencies. It was just a remarkable effort all around; standing together to take care of members in the home.

“I can’t stress enough how grateful and proud of our team I am, they’re just incredible as a team. This is our own little community; our employees always say the veterans are their families, and they certainly lived that and supported that mission of providing that quality care for our veterans.”

Annie Lippert can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550. Her email address is alippert@miningjournal.net.