The Journey Here: Christy (June 2025)
At Concordia Lutheran Ministries, we are blessed with a dedicated team of compassionate employees who help us carry out our mission of caring every day.
Through our series of employee testimonials, “The Journey Here,” we’ll introduce you to team members, profiling their Concordia journey. The piece will be supplemented with a Q&A featured in our Faith in Caring magazine, offering further perspective on how our employees work as the hands and hearts of our mission.
We’re excited for you to meet Concordia at the Orchard Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Christy Walter:
A Chance Taken
As the sun rises over an orchard, the light touches the apples, pears and pawpaw swaying on the breeze. These trees often take years before they bear fruit. It takes time.
It takes time to reach career goals too. Christy made a career change at age 39. After spending 16 years as a stay-at-home mom and three years as a bank teller, Christy started over as server and cook in the Orchard’s kitchen.
“It was busy. You see the residents with a different perspective from the kitchen,” Christy said. “It was a good experience.”
As she worked, Christy’s true passion shined through — caring for others. Having a lifelong dream of becoming a nurse, Christy knew Concordia had helped many people reach their goals. Her work ethic attracted attention.
The Orchard’s Administrator Melissa Weichey said Christy always goes the extra mile.
“She’s willing to take on projects and extra tasks,” Melissa said. “She always faces a challenge with an open mind and respect.”
When a nurse aide position opened, she grasped at the chance, and she climbed to a medication technician position shortly after. In the span of nine months, Christy went from serving meals to assisting residents with their medications.
During her time as a medication technician, she watched professional nurses carefully — the way they administered medication, the way they asked questions to patients and the way they applied dressings, among other tasks.
“You’re there to lend a helping hand, doing whatever is needed,” Christy said. “It definitely opened my eyes to seeing that I wanted to do this for the rest of my life.”
Just as Christy built her confidence and courage, life humbled her with the passing of her father, Bill Walter. Christy had been living with Bill as he battled lung cancer, and she assisted with his care. She recalled a tender moment before his passing.
“He said, ‘If you don’t go to nursing school, I’ll be disappointed,’” she said. “I promised Dad I would go to school.”
A Dream Pursued
So, Christy went back to school, all the while working a full-time job and raising teenagers.
“After being out of school for so many years, I had to get back into studying and that routine again. I didn’t have a life for two years,” Christy said. “It was a struggle. I was very, very nervous, but I couldn’t give up.”
Christy felt thankful to the many people who helped her along the way. But as she looks back at the context of her life, she’s most proud of herself for achieving her dream career and fulfilling her promise to her father.
“I worked hard to get where I am,” Christy said. “I don’t know how I did it, but the grace of God got me through it.”
There was no grand return to the Orchard. She had never left. She assumed her new role, and at first, she found it jarring.
“When I was a medication technician, I knew the nurse was going to come in at the end and take care of everything,” Christy said. “But now, it’s all on me.”
Onward at the Orchard
Christy said she has embraced the new challenges and stands on her successes. She also encourages others to seek the same confidence in their own career paths. She believes Concordia gave her the opportunity, and they will do it for others.
“Managers are watching. They look for anybody who is willing to grow professionally. Concordia wants people who want to stay and grow,” Christy said. “I like encouraging people who want to make themselves better. If I see they have the potential, I’ll vouch for them.”
Christy feels comfortable helping others strive toward their dreams because she feels she’s fulfilled hers. She said she gets to take care of truly wonderful people every day. The residents have brought her great joy with their stories over the years.
“This generation is not going to be here much longer,” said Christy with tears welling in her eyes. “People tend to forget what they’ve been through; how much they’ve given up.”
“They’re wise people, and they have some good stories. I have a lot of respect for them.”
As the sun shines on Concordia at the Orchard, Christy finds herself in the right role at the right place. Her smile glints in the daylight like the fruit on the trees. It’s been years in the making.
Sometimes, it just takes time. For Christy, the wait made the taste of achieving her dreams all the sweeter.
View all open careers at ConcordiaCareers.org and connect with us on social to learn more about our employee culture! And, to learn more about Korey’s perspective on her Concordia career, check out the December issue of Concordia’s Faith in Caring magazine.
Subscribe today by emailing giving@concordialm.org.
Check Out Other Journeys from This Past Year
Founded in 1881, Concordia Lutheran Ministries is a faith-based, CARF-accredited Aging Services Network and recipient of the inaugural Pennsylvania Department of Aging Excellence in Quality Care Award. As one of the largest nonprofit senior care providers in the country, the organization serves 50,000 people annually through in-home care and inpatient locations.
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