October 2020 Professional CAREGiver of the Month - Mike McKinzey
Mike McKinzey is our CAREGiver of the Month for October! Mike is the kind of man you feel like you've known forever when you meet him. He came to HISC wanting to just pick up a few hours to serve others. He told Andrea and Amy he wanted to be full-time retired and a part-time employee. Although that's what he said he wanted, Amy said he never tells her no to more shifts with his clients, unless he's going to be out of town. That already tells us a lot about his character, but here's a little more about Mike so we can get to know him even more!
Where were you born? I was born in Arizona.
Where did you grow up? I had lived in fifteen different places before finishing high school because my dad was in the military. After high school, I was drafted and did a tour in Vietnam. I worked on the helicopters.
How long have you worked at HISC? I've worked for Home Instead for one year.
What's your favorite part of caregiving? I'm a history buff, so I love listening and talking to my clients about their life stories and their childhoods.
Tell us about your family, hobbies, and interests? I have a daughter and a grandson that live in Kansas City. I have been self-employed for many years. I've repaired office equipment, built and managed storage units and managed a BBQ restaurant. As far as hobbies go, I like anything mechanical. I've built airplanes and hot rods. I really enjoy anything that moves. I have two vintage motorcycles that I've restored. I was an armorer in the Army and built rifles. I also was a pilot at one point.
Mike is definitely a handy man. During training, he noticed we had a door that you had to pull shut a certain way for it to close. After training ended, Mike showed up with some tools and fixed it. We also love the fact he is a wonderful baker. If you want melt in your mouth, delicious cinnamon rolls, just call Mike! He's gone above and beyond to help clients. He helped one client contact a company to get his A/C fixed. Not really in the HISC job description, but a great added on blessing. Outside of Home Instead, he continues to bless others. One thing he does is take some time off each year to take a person with special needs hunting. For all these reasons, and many more, we are glad to honor Mike as our CAREGiver of the Month for October. Keep up the excellent work, Mike, and know you are very much appreciated! God Bless!
