Mission Moment: Shepherd Cares — 'You've Got a Friend in Me'

During Shepherd Center’s five-week annual employee giving campaign ShepherdCares, you may run into characters ranging from Wilma Flintstone to Buzz Lightyear — depending on that year’s theme — all in an effort to drum up support for the campaign. Meanwhile, a symbolic thermometer hangs on the wall to track progress toward an ambitious goal, usually to raise about $175,000. 

In 2024, ShepherdCares was especially meaningful, as it honored now-retired CEO Sarah Morrison in the most fitting way possible—creating a fund that supports employees in times of crisis. “The Sarah Morrison Staff Support Fund was the overwhelming winner in a staff vote of potential beneficiaries,” says Alex Seblatnigg, CAVS, director of volunteer services and internal engagement. “We know anecdotally that when something catastrophic happens in a staff member’s life — like a house fire or some other emergency — people at Shepherd reach into their pockets to help. But we want to make sure as an organization we can support our team members if something like that happens.” All the proceeds from the 2024 campaign went to the staff support fund, and moving forward, 50% of the money raised will go to sustain it. 

“In the 14 years I’ve been here, we have always exceeded our goal by at least 10%,” Alex says of ShepherdCares. “During COVID, we 142 had three of our most successful years. Shepherd staff members always step up and find a way. Our participation usually hovers around 85%.” The money raised covers specific needs, such as buying a fully adaptive van for Shepherd’s driving program or exercise equipment that can be used in both spinal cord and brain injury gyms. “We also have funded a new van for our adolescent program so that when the kids go on community outings, they don’t feel like they’re going out in a granny van,” Alex says. “They feel kind of cool.” 

In 2024, the theme song from the “Toy Story” movie, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” was the perfect rallying cry. Staff physiatrist James “Woody” Morgan, M.D., seemed the obvious choice to become cowboy Woody, while Burnise Charpentier, LMSW, CCM, a case manager in the Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation unit, was feisty cowgirl Jessie. William Davidson, director of engineering, filled Buzz Lightyear’s boots, vowing to raise funds to infinity and beyond. ShepherdCares may last only five weeks, but behind the scenes, it is almost a year-round undertaking, beginning in February. An eight-person advisory committee starts by picking a theme, recruiting dozens of honorary ambassadors representing every department, and ordering that year’s participation gift, such as stadium cups, fanny packs, collapsible lunchboxes, and other coveted merch bearing the campaign logo. 

Ever-competitive employees anxiously check out raffle results for fabulous prizes, such as Visa gift cards, a reserved parking space for a month, or two days of paid time off. “Everyone gets most excited about the parking space and the PTO,” Alex says. “But mostly, ShepherdCares is competitive because we want to exceed our goals. I think it says so much to our patients and families about how much we care about what we’re able to do for them. We always want to be able to do more if we can.”

Written by Teresa Weaver

This story is an excerpt from “Mission Moments: 50 Years of Rebuilding Lives One Moment at a Time,” a book celebrating Shepherd’s 50th anniversary in 2025.