Jesus Carattini, Maintenance Department at The Leavitt Family Jewish Home
Jesus Carattini is a very personable, friendly and valued member of the JGS Maintenance Department. Since arriving, 3 ½ years ago, he has taken on a tremendous amount of responsibility and has learned a great deal. “It has been a lot of on the job training in many new areas ” he says, “like in plumbing, HVAC, turning the heat/AC system over from winter to summer and back, basically, just about every area of the building that needs taking care of.” Jesus’ work is mostly at The Leavitt Family Jewish Home though occasionally he helps out at Ruth’s House as needed and he is on-call every third week at JGS. Since he started, he has found JGS to be a welcoming place where most people work together and are very helpful. “Everyone is approachable at all levels,” he says, “and if they don’t have the answers, they will point me to the person who does. I’ve never experienced that kind of accessibility… I talk to Rob (Whitten) (JNH Administrator) everyday and others in the administration and that is just so different from others places where I’ve been.”
Jesus was born and raised in Holyoke, and his parents are from Puerto Rico. He has 2 brothers and 1 sister. Jesus and his partner, Tamika, live in Chicopee and have 3 children: twins Josiah and Genesis (age 4), and Jae-lee, their 8 month old daughter. His partner works the overnight shift, so Jesus is busy parenting the kids from the moment he gets home from work. “It is stressful,” he says,” but luckily my mother is an active grandparent and my sister is a big help as well.”
These past few months have been particularly stressful for Jesus, working in a healthcare organization with young children at home and the ever-present fear of bringing the virus home. “When I go home, I have to keep to a certain routine: my sneakers stay outside, my clothes come off and get bagged up and washed right away, and I go and shower. I sanitize everything I can. So far, I’ve managed to stay Negative for Covid. I have a cousin and an uncle who got the virus, but luckily they both have fully recovered. “
In his spare time, and when the courts are open for play, Jesus loves playing basketball and softball, and when the kids are napping, he enjoys playing video games. “I am a proud parent,” he says, “and my greatest hope is to prepare my kids for the world, so that they become successful adults, doing what they love to do. I’ve got to prepare them as best I can.”
We so appreciate Jesus for his ever-present positive attitude, his team spirit and his kindness. He never hesitates to help out and is eager to learn new things. Our Maintenance Department is responsible for the overall maintenance of the physical plant at JGS Lifecare, to ensure the health, welfare, safety and satisfaction of our residents. This team is known for helping out whenever called upon, which has been an ongoing occurrence during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Jesus is a dependable and highly valued member of the team. We thank Jesus and our entire Maintenance Department for their commitment to the wellbeing of our residents and for the pride they take in keeping our facilities safe and operational.
