My name is Michelle Cook. I started at Community Anderson as a SPD Tech on January of 1990 and have been with CHA ever since - about 15 years. I have worked in several departments including SPD, OT, Cardiopulmonary, and Extended Care. I’m currently an Organizational Trainer in the Education department. My office is at the Education Center but I actually spend most of my time in the hospital fulfilling the responsibilities of my job. I am a member of the CHA’s Diversity Team, the Employee Activity Team, and the Safety Core Group. I coordinate the Cultural Diversity training for CHA, and I am a trainer myself. My training partner is Sandy Zentz. We have started training employees on Cultural Diversity since the summer of 2003. The goal is to have all our employees trained in Diversity by the end of 2005.

I am 34 years old. I have a wonderful husband and two sons, ages 10 and 15. I was delivered at Community Hospital Anderson, by Dr. Leroy, in 1970. My parents are Ralph and Linda Fields. Three years later, I became the big sister to my brother, Eric. I grew up in Summitville, a very small town in the northeastern part of Madison County, in a middle-class family. I attended Summitville School for my grade school and junior high years. My high school years were spent at Madison-Grant. I graduated in 1988 with a class of about 140. I decided to take a year off from school before beginning my college education, however my plans changed. A few months after graduation, I became pregnant with my oldest son. This placed me in the category of “Unwed Teenage Mothers”. I had always been the “good girl”. Being a single parent, I faced many challenges and I discovered, the hard way, that one should not criticize a person until they have walked a mile in their shoes! During those years of single parenthood, I had the tremendous support of family and friends, a lifesaver. After my marriage to my husband, we moved to Elwood. We stayed in town for about a year before moving to the country, about 5 miles north of Elwood, where we currently live. Our second son was born in 1994.

Due to my oldest son’s health problems, college was put off for a few years. I started taking classes at Indiana University at Kokomo, for a career in Nursing. Off and on, I continue to attend classes at the Indiana University at Kokomo, the Anderson University and IVY Tech, but have yet to finish a degree. I will succeed in my goal for a college education some day.

I am very involved in my kids’ lives. I volunteered at their schools whenever possible. I attended all of their school programs and went on as many fieldtrips as I could. My boys are great kids and I am very proud of them. They bring great joy to my life.
For a variety of reasons, I tend to many of my parent’s household affairs. I have two wonderful parents who have been very supportive of me throughout my life. My mom is from Tennessee and my dad is from Kentucky. The majority of my relatives live in the south. My maternal great-grandma was full-blooded Cherokee Indian. I really enjoy spending time with my relatives in Tennessee because of their laid-back attitude towards life. I have a dream to live in Tennessee after retirement, if not before. I am also the Power of Attorney for my maternal grandma. She lives at Community Parkview Care Center in Elwood. She has always been a very special grandmother to me. I have many fond memories of time spent with her and still cherish any time in her presence.

I am a member of the East Main Street Christian Church in Elwood. I was baptized about 10 years ago. Faith is very important to me. I was once awarded Volunteer of the Year at our church. I love our church because of the closeness of the congregation and the many activities that involve kids. We have a wonderful Pastor, Roger Gardner.

I enjoy the outdoors. I most enjoy the camping weekends spent with my family in our fifth-wheel camper. I am able to relax, read a book, crochet by the campfire, and fish, a little. My husband and kids had a good laugh at me, this last summer, when I decided to learn to fish. I picked up the fishing pole with the reel upside down and tried to cast. I guess I left lots of room for improvement! I also, enjoy reading, traveling, and shopping.