By Nicole Davis
For the first time since 2019, Franciscan Health was able to hold its annual employee picnic – in person – with a luncheon on May 5 at the Indianapolis campus. The employee appreciation event not only included free lunch to healthcare workers, but gift bags stuffed with products donated and handed out by staff from Ulta Beauty.
“We’re thrilled to have this,” said Jim Callaghan, MD, CEO of Franciscan Health Indianapolis, Mooresville and Carmel. “We have been hard at work especially the last two years with the pandemic. That was a real challenge because it takes an emotional toll on our staff. It’s so great to be outside and return to our annual picnic where we can recognize our coworkers, our staff and our physicians; they can come outside, take a break, see their friends, get some good food, get some Ulta products, which is so generous of Ulta to do that.”
Another luncheon was also held a day prior at Franciscan’s Mooresville campus. Between both events, nearly 5,000 gift bags were be provided to Franciscan Health Central Indiana workers as well as members of the Greenwood police and fire departments. This included a variety of beauty and hygiene products for women and men, collectively valued at more than $800,000, said Chris Wheeler, director of operations for Ulta’s Greenwood distribution center.
“It’s really to give thanks to what they’ve been through the last couple of years, what they’ve continued to do with COVID, pre-COVID, post-COVID,” Wheeler said. “As a company we’ve been very successful at allowing ourselves to be in our communities, reach out and build that camaraderie among our essential workers as well as our distribution network. “It’s been really hard to do community events the past couple of years, obviously with COVID, so to be in person, for us, it feels new again. Our team has been excited for months for this.”
