If you ask Parlisia Jenkins how her day started, she just might tell you it began with 500 Chick-fil-A chicken biscuits. In fact, she started a couple of mornings that way this spring, working with her team to deliver hundreds of biscuits across Glenwood’s Sicard Hollow and Avondale locations.
As Glenwood’s Vice President of Human Resources, Parlisia and a staff appreciation team are always thinking of new ways to make employees feel valued. Surprise biscuit deliveries are just one example.
“It was really fun,” she says, laughing. “They didn’t expect it. It really felt good.”
Parlisia has been a pillar at Glenwood for over five years. Her role touches nearly every part of the organization, leading a team responsible for recruiting, payroll, training and more across all programs.
After 20 years in corporate America, she came to Glenwood seeking work that aligned more closely with her passion for helping people.
“At Glenwood, it feels like you’re making a difference, and not just in the lives of our individuals,” she shares. “My role is to make sure the people who care for them are whole. If our staff are not whole, they cannot take care of our individuals.”
That philosophy shapes everything she and her team do. She prides herself on knowing the names of all 500 Glenwood employees, no small feat. Whenever possible, she visits programs across campus to check in with staff, offer support and listen.
“They’re not just another person on our roster,” she says. “They feel like I know them.”
The work at Glenwood is not easy. Last year, one department was struggling. Turnover was high, and staff frequently stopped by Parlisia’s office with concern. Her team organized a focus group.
“We wanted the raw data to figure out how to make things better,” she says.
For Parlisia, listening wasn’t enough. She wanted action. Working alongside department leaders, she helped develop a plan based on employee feedback.
A year later, that same department requested a follow-up focus group.
“I was nervous,” she admits.
But there was no need to be.
“They just wanted to tell me how much of a difference it made that we listened. It has been a complete 180. Those are the moments that remind us of the impact we have.”
That commitment to listening reflects a larger philosophy that shapes Glenwood’s culture.
At the heart of that culture is Glenwood’s Model of Care. While the framework has been recently formalized, Parlisia says its principles have guided the organization for decades. The model encourages staff to create positive reactions, slow down and think, flow with the force and find the need so staff looks beyond behaviors to understand what an individual, a family member or a co-worker may need.
“Let’s say someone is pacing, which can be a sign that a behavior may be coming,” Parlisia says. “This teaches our staff to pause and ask, ‘Hey buddy, what can I do for you today? Do you want to go on a walk?’”
For Parlisia, it comes down to relationships built on patience, respect and understanding.
“When you have a supportive team around you, it really does make difficult work more sustainable,” she says. “It’s the little things. When you find the need and you make the difference, that’s what keeps you coming back.”
The HR team itself reflects that same culture. Made up of ten people, it operates as a close-knit group that supports one another through difficult days.
“We help each other grow,” Parlisia says. “I learn from them as much as they learn from me.”
When Parlisia leaves work, she shifts her focus fully to her family, including her nearly three-year-old grandson.
“When I need to be present with family and at home, I’m present,” she says. “That’s the balance I need to be effective in my job.”
It mirrors what she asks of Glenwood’s staff every day: show up whole, be present, and the people in your care will feel it.
For Parlisia, that sense of wholeness carries from home into every part of her work, every conversation, every focus group, every unexpected Friday morning breakfast delivery. It is what makes the work sustainable. It is what makes it last.
She does not often think about her own impact. When others point it out, she is almost surprised.
“It’s very natural for me to bring people together,” she says. “I don’t even notice until someone says I did something.”
But those around her notice. At Glenwood, care moves in every direction, from staff to individuals, from leadership to employees, and from Parlisia outward into the organization itself.
“Our staff takes care of our individuals,” Parlisia says simply. “And I take care of them.”