On his way to work one morning, Algeir Warren’s car began to smoke under the hood. Algeir is a bus driver at Westminster Winter Park and was in a time crunch with only 20 minutes to get to work to drive residents to church. After delivering his car to the mechanic closest to the community, he decided to run the four miles to work.
“My job is to be there on time!” Algeir said. “I wanted to make sure I was there on time.”
Algeir is just one of the 2,700 dedicated team members at Westminster Communities of Florida. These remarkable individuals serve older adults with the same commitment in communities across the state. Each day they make decisions with the best interests of our residents in mind and inspire us with the same unwavering commitment Algeir showed by choosing to run to work.
“It was amazing to me that he decided to this but what I think what was even more amazing was that he didn’t tell a lot of people about it,” Westminster Winter Park Executive Director Angie Layfield said. “He just did it because I think he felt it was the right thing to do and he didn’t want to let the residents down.”
Algeir is a distance runner and has completed eight-mile runs, 10-mile races and half marathons.
“I run a lot so I thought I can do that in that amount of time!” Algeir said about the race to beat the clock to the community. “I got there in time – I made it!”
“Algeir really understands that the disappointment or the letdown for those residents would they not have been able to make it to church that day was something he didn’t want those residents to experience,” Angie said. “I think he is a person who truly understands the impact that team members have on a resident’s day, every day. It shows our team members understanding of their role in the resident’s quality of life.”
Algeir has been part of the Westminster Communities of Florida family for a little over a year and hopes to transition to the community’s physical therapy department having recently graduated with an associate degree in physical therapy.
He said he is drawn to geriatric health and enjoys working with the elderly.
“They all have stories,” Algeir said. “When you work around them, you realize that some of them don’t even have family members or anybody to talk to. I can relieve some of that and brighten up their day! I can be somebody that they can talk to and help them get back to walking or help them with their balance.”
We are immensely grateful for Algeir and all the team members who continue to serve and uplift our residents in extraordinary ways, making a difference in their lives each and every day. Their dedication and determination truly make Westminster Communities of Florida a place where excellence thrives and the spirit of service shines bright.
