Rosewood Services Inc. recently recognized four of its standout staff members for the summer quarter "Shining Stars Award." The winners’ respective supervisors recognized their commitment, exuberance and pride in striving to help those with developmental disabilities.

Rosewood employees Deb Smith, Vickie Booze, Andrea Ehrlich and Mallory Osuwah received the distinguished quarterly honor for their good work.

"At Rosewood, we recognize that our employees are among our greatest resources and advocates in our constant quest to effectively serve those with developmental disabilities," said Rosewood founder and executive director Tammy Hammond. "We do not take their role or their importance lightly and that’s why we look upon the Shining Stars Award as a significant honor for our employees. I am proud of the four who have been named award winners for this quarter."

Smith is a case manager who has worked at Rosewood for seven years. She’s also owner of Edna’s Place in Macksville, but still finds time to volunteer for Rosewood events on a regular basis. She and her husband, Bob Pontius, have six grown children and 13 grandchildren. Smith said she likes being a part of clients’ personal growth and helping them achieve their goals.

Her supervisor, Vicki Schmidt, said of Smith, "Deb has energy, ability, willingness and determination. She’s a hard worker who goes beyond to serve, whether a client is on her caseload or not."

Vickie Booze also serves as case manager for Rosewood, where she has been employed for 11 years and served in an administrative role for many years. She is married to Randy Booze and has two grown children and three grandchildren. She said Rosewood is endearing to her as an employee because the company treats everyone like family and people are eager to help one another.

"Vickie has a heart the size of Texas and there is nothing she wouldn’t do to help improve the lives of the people on her caseload," said her supervisor, Schmitt.

Andrea Ehrlich is a two-year employee of Rosewood, who now serves as residential manager. She worked as direct care staff and was promoted to manager a year later. She has one grown daughter and one grandchild. Ehrlich said she loves to see people succeed and become more independent because of efforts of Rosewood staff.

Ehrlich’s supervisor, Amanda Fellers, said about her, "Andrea is a vibrant, dedicated and energetic leader. She has the ability to turn any situation around. She’ll go the distance for both her clients and her staff, and she’s a respected and treasured member of various teams within the agency."

Mallory Osuwah has made an impact at Rosewood in a short time, being employed there for 1 ½ years. For a short time, she worked as direct care staff and then was quickly promoted to manager. Osuwah said she likes working at Roswood because "when I leave work, I feel like I have affected someone’s life and made an impact for them."

"Mallory’s pride in improving the lives of others is demonstrated consistently through her work and actions," said Fellers, her superviser. "She cares not only for the folks we serve, but also about the staff that she supervises."

Osuwah and her husband, Najerri, have two children.

Find more about Rosewood Services Inc. online, http://rosewoodservices.com.