2020 CAREGiver of the Year - Maimouna Thera
Originally from Mali in West Africa, Mouna grew up in an unconventional family environment in which her dad had five wives. As a result, she is one of 36 children (five brothers and sisters, and 31 half-brothers and half-sisters).
After Mouna received her diploma from high school, she was forced to enter an arranged marriage with her cousin, with whom she had a baby boy. After enduring many years of domestic abuse, Mouna decided to get a divorce, which was considered “unlawful” in her family and region. Following her decision, Mouna’s family immediately shunned her, and she was forced to flee her country and family.
In 2013, Mouna chose to immigrate to Madison, Wisconsin, leaving behind her son with the hope of creating a better life for herself and her family. Upon arriving in Madison, Mouna enrolled at Madison Area Technical College to pursue a career as a medical assistant. While in school, she and her tutor shared a “love at first sight” moment, resulting in their marriage just three months later and a baby girl a year after that.
The two of them are tireless, toggling between school and work, and impacting many lives along the way. Mouna has served 62+ clients and worked 871+ shifts in her time as CAREGiver℠. In addition, her husband is in medical school at the University of Wisconsin, where he is pursuing a degree as a cardiologist.
Together, they share a dream of returning to Africa to help “their people” get the health care they deserve. They also send their money back to Togo, Africa, where they are currently building a hospital that Mouna and her husband will eventually operate; in fact, Madison General Manager Chad Weiss has even taken Mouna under his wing to teach her the business side of the franchise, from finance and management to health care policy.
Chad said, “I immediately choked up when I met Mouna, and heard her story and vison. She simply has devoted her life to help as many people as possible in this world. I can’t wait to read about ‘My Mouna’s’ journey, once she finally gets to open her hospital in Togo.”
Mouna is more than a CAREGiver of the Year. She is a blessing to our service.
Donna Mae and her husband, Bud, are full-time clients of Mouna. Donna Mae, who referred to Mouna as “part of the family,” described her WWII-veteran husband as a “tough man,” but when Mouna comes around he turns to putty.
Donna Mae said, “He never listens to me, but what Mouna says, goes.” Every day, Bud waits anxiously for Mouna to arrive (Donna Mae, too, anticipates her arrival because she can then take a nap without having to worry that Bud is cared for). When Mouna arrives, Bud jumps out of his chair and greets her with a hug.
Chris Collas, who is our office’s Recruitment & Engagement Manager, said, “I am always looking for kind, humble, selfless and dedicated individuals to join our team. When I think of the model hiring profile, I always think of Mouna. She is the gold standard (it almost seems unfair to expect anyone to perform at the same level). What makes her even more admirable is that I don’t think she even realizes she is doing anything special. It’s just who she is and how she does things. She is truly an outlier, and I’ve never met anyone who works as hard as she does or who is as committed to clients as she is.”
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