By Elvira Wolford, DBA, SHRM-SCP, PHR
When Stefannie Falstreau walked through the doors of Majestic Oaks in September 2004, she was making a bold career change, leaving the restaurant business behind to pursue her passion for healthcare. Hired on the spot as a certified nursing assistant, Stefannie didn’t simply settle into a new job; she built an entirely new future. While working at Majestic Oaks, she returned to school and earned her registered nurse license in 2008, a four-year journey that demonstrated the same determination and drive she brings to her work every day. Though she briefly explored a hospital setting and worked as a per diem employee at Majestic Oaks, it took only seven months for Stefannie to realize her heart belonged at John Knox Village of Central Florida, in Orange City, Florida. She returned in 2010 to assume the resident nurse role, where she has faithfully served ever since. A career now spanning more than two decades.
What makes Stefannie exceptional is the way she cares for residents not as patients, but as family. Early in her tenure, she describes relationships as feeling like working alongside grandparents; today, she says it feels more like caring for her own parents. That shift speaks to the depth of connection she has cultivated over more than twenty years. Stefannie checks in on residents regularly, follows up when she hasn’t seen a familiar face in a while, and looks in on those returning from hospital stays—not because a protocol requires it, but because she genuinely cares. She treasures the autonomy her role provides to get out of the office, walk the community, and learn the stories behind every resident she encounters. In the most tender moments, she sat quietly with residents and prayed alongside them, offering comfort that extends far beyond clinical care.
Stefannie’s loyalty to John Knox Village of Central Florida is deeply personal, and it is shared by her husband Ron, who also serves the community as Majestic Oaks Maintenance Supervisor. More than twenty years later, her connection to this community has only grown stronger. She still finds meaning in the relationships she has built, still shows up for residents the way she would for her own family, and plans to continue her career here until retirement. A promise that says everything about the kind of nurse, colleague, and person she is.
Impact of the Employee Appreciation Fund
The Employee Appreciation Fund has been a genuine blessing for Stefannie and Ron throughout their years at John Knox Village of Central Florida. During seasons when the family was living paycheck to paycheck, the annual appreciation check went straight toward Christmas gifts for their children—turning what could have been a difficult holiday into a joyful one. Now that their children are grown, the couple has redirected that generosity toward their grandchildren, and occasionally toward themselves; one year, the fund helped each of them get a good watch.
The EAF check has also helped bridge real distance: their daughter, married to a Navy service member, lives in Seattle, and the fund once made it possible for her to fly home for a visit. Stefannie has watched the fund evolve over the years, noting that around 2017 residents began handing out appreciation checks personally at the Barker Center rather than distributing them through supervisors—a change that made the moment far more meaningful.
“I’m amazed that the residents already pay to live here, and they come together and do this for the employees,” she shared. For Stefannie, the fund is more than financial support; it is a powerful reminder that the care she gives is truly seen and valued.