10/25/2025
Last night we honored two special guests during our monthly meeting. Here is a few details about the two people who received the awards.
Virginia Beach Rotary Club
Special Achievement Award Nomination
October 2025
Ms. Kristen Klein - We have known Kristen for over 30 years, as she has worked in a variety of jobs in the areas of manufacturing, industrial, and janitorial work. In March of 2024, she began a new job as a Hospitality Champ at Shake Shack, where she maintains the dining area and provides customer service throughout each shift. Interacting with the public was a
challenge at first, as it had never been a focus of her previous jobs, but over time she has become more comfortable talking to her customers. Her coworkers and supervisors greatly appreciate her hard work and her positive "team player" attitude.
During her many years with Community Employment Options, Kristen has been known and admired for her independence, resourcefulness, and punctuality. Getting around Virginia Beach can be challenging for those who don't drive, and Kristen is determined to be on time for work and appointments. She takes the bus, walks for long distances
without ever complaining, and, when necessary, has coordinated with friends or coworkers for rides to her destination. When she isn't working, Kristen enjoys spending time with her family and has a soft spot for her neighborhood's feral cats, who can count on her to not let them go hungry.
The Rotary Club's motto is "Service above self", thus, for her motivation, dedication to her work, strong customer service skills, and involvement with the community, the Virginia Beach Department of Human Services nominated Ms. Kristen Klein for the award.
Virginia Beach Rotary Club - Doors to Opportunity Award Nomination
October 2025
It is with great pleasure that we nominate Keith O'Neill of Broad Bay Country Club for the Virginia Beach Rotary Club 2025 Doors to Opportunity Award, recognizing the crucial role of businesses in enhancing the lives of persons with disabilities. Many of the individuals served by the Community Employment Options program have significant barriers to employment. These barriers include cognitive and physical limitations, mental health issues, as well as gaps in employment history that make it difficult to find work. Mr. O'Neill, Superintendent of Broad Bay Country Club, provided a
"Door to Opportunity" by hiring a client of our program to help maintain the greens. The job placement resulted numerous challenges, including issues with attendance and work quality, but over time this employee made great strides with his performance, andMr. O'Neill is already making plans to train him on new greenkeeping equipment next spring.
Over the past two years, Mr. O'Neill's patience, determination, and encouragement have paid dividends in terms of the employee's growth. He set clear expectations and held his employee accountable, and as a result the employee has risen to the occasion. For his leadership in providing challenging and supportive employment opportunities to workers with disabilities we take great pride in nominating Mr. Keith O'Neill of Broad Bay Golf.
