On Wednesday December 3rd, Wisdom team galloped towards Brookfield Rehabilitation Center with the mission to fill 250 stockings for the rehab residents for Saint Nick. They brought tons of energy and high level of enthusiasm with them. At 1:00pm the team met with the representative- Jamie at the center despite the heavy snowfall and was taken to a huge banquette hall at the center. The tables were ready with the activities to be done. Task was to make 200 jingle bell necklaces, tie strings to 250 bubble ornaments, label the soaps and then fill the stockings with all these goodies. The team immediately got in action. Guys very quickly adapted the technique to make necklaces!

Shortly the team was accompanied by the staff for their carol practice. So now there was an entertainment as well!! The spirit was very high and the mood was cheerful when the doctors, nurses and the other members of the staff started to play the music and sing! Soon a cart with hot chocolate and whipped cream crawled into the hall. It can't get any better than that! Occasionally the team was greeted by some curious residents who strolled around; some in their wheelchair. Team quickly moved from one task to another. And great Process Improvement and assembly line skills were demonstrated by the team. Each task was getting better and more efficient with the suggestions from the team members. True team spirit was evident through out the event. Most challenging task was to fill the stocking for each individual and put it in the bin which was labeled with the Wing name. Constrain was the specifications for each individual about what goes in the stocking. The team had to make sure that they follow the instructions carefully as some residents were not to get the chocolates or soap due to the health restrictions. Very soon the team overcame that hurdle as well.

By 5:00 pm the team had filled close to 150 stockings and there were 100 more to go. Although the commitment was only till 5 pm, the team sensed the need and urgency of the situation and decided to finish the task! Some cookies and apple cider maintained the sugar level. At 5:45 pm all the stockings were filled and allocated as per the units/Wings in the bins. The job was successfully completed. There was a smile and gratitude when the staff said goodbye. And the team had a great feeling while walking out as they read the names of some residents whose stockings they filled.