Sister Cecelia Ferland, better known as “Cece,” was honored as “Employee of the Year” at the annual Employee Appreciation Day held on May 26 at Valley Regional Hospital (VRH) in Claremont, New Hampshire.

For the past seven years, Cece has served as patient ambassador at VRH, representing the hospital to arriving patients and their families.  In presenting the award, Gregg Burdett, vice president for administration, said, “When we speak of true kindness and compassion, perhaps no one individual more embodies these qualities than our own Cece Ferland… Anyone who has had the pleasure to be welcomed by Cece knows firsthand about her caring and gentle manner and that ever-present warm smile. Always professional and never judgmental, Cece carries out her duties with a level of excellence second to none.”
A native of Claremont, Cece has ministered in that city since 1992, serving as secretary and bookkeeper at St. Mary School and Parish before joining the VRH staff.  She has held a variety of business- and finance-related positions at Marian Court College in Swampscott, Massachusetts; Mount St. Mary College in Hooksett, New Hampshire; Bishop Brady High School in Concord, New Hampshire; Mount St. Mary High School in Nashua, New Hampshire; and the Institute for Community Economics in Springfield, Massachusetts.