AdventHealth team members add artistic touch to hope and healing

Corey Thomas has always had an interest in art and design – long before he discovered that his great-grandfather used to paint billboards for a living many years ago. His mother, who works as an interior designer, also contributed to his passion for the field.

“The best part of my job is that I get to explore my creativity and work on projects that promote our organization’s brand promise to help people feel whole,” said Thomas, a designer and web developer at AdventHealth.

Thomas has worked on over 1,200 projects as part of a team that uses art to inspire and heal. His work has been displayed across various media, including the intranet, online media and billboards. During the last few challenging years, Thomas said he found a new dimension to AdventHealth’s mission.

“I feel inspired to do meaningful work for those we serve,” he said. “I didn’t know design could be so mission oriented.”

When Danielle Jeter was a little girl, her father, a pastor at their church, encouraged her to sing on stage, which helped develop her confidence. Years later, Jeter paid it forward by developing performing arts programs for children in her community.

Jeter, a leadership development partner in AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division, shared about a young girl she encouraged to combine her passion for music with poetry. “She created a heartfelt rhythmic spoken word piece that touched not only her peers but also her mother, who had initially opposed it. The girl said it was one of the most empowering things she had ever done.”

Jeter believes in the power of the arts to change lives and has worked with hundreds of children in her community. Her passion drives her to seek new ways to mentor more children.

“I love to help the younger generation find their voice because I know what it did for me,” she said.

For Lisa Campbell, her passion for her work in nursing, leadership, music and the arts are all connected. A senior manager of health care leadership programs at AdventHealth’s Leadership Institute, Campbell seeks to inspire through prioritizing our clinical leaders’ professional development and well-being. Another way she inspires is through songs.

“Healing is not just about treatments or procedures. It encompasses the ways that God can use us to show compassion, love and encouragement,” said Campbell. “Singing feeds my soul and allows me to pour into others – an experience I often get to share with my sister.”

Campbell’s 15-year-old daughter is also blazing an artistic trail in the world of ballet. She made history as one of the first Black ballerinas to perform the role of Dewdrop in her dance school’s production of The Nutcracker show in Orlando.

“I’m proud of my daughter’s storytelling ability in the arts and her strong work ethic. It’s important to tell our stories through the arts for future generations,” said Campbell.

The power of a song can do amazing things for the body, mind and spirit, said Joshua Champion, vice president of ancillary services at AdventHealth Daytona Beach in our East Florida Division. Champion helps coordinate various teams to care for our patients, often ministering with songs to those around him as part of his mobile music ministry and team member band.

A few years ago, Champion said he had just finished singing a song at AdventHealth Waterman when a family member of a patient approached him outside the patient’s room.

“You have such an amazing voice,” she said. “You don't know how much your song meant to my mother. It's one of her favorites, and she's been singing it her whole life.”

These moments, Champion said, make him grateful for the ability to share his musical gift at his workplace and his church. “Music is my happy place,” he said. “I’m passionate about spreading joy and healing to those around me.”

Crystal Syrrakos’ mother taught her an important lesson she’s learned to appreciate throughout her journey: to always approach every action with love. As a training manager for senior care at AdventHealth, Syrrakos guides her team to prioritize whole-person care delivery to patients.

“It’s all about people, as my mother always reminds me,” she said. “Being a worship leader at church has also enabled me to grow as an educator. I’m inspired to keep people engaged whether they’re embarking on a spiritual or learning journey."

Syrrakos comes from an artistically inclined family. Her grandmother played the piano and her grandfather played the violin. Her brother works as a music producer and her father plays and composes music. Syrrakos’15-year-old daughter is also talented in drawing.

“My daughter has been drawing since she was little,” said Syrrakos. “As a family, we don’t take lightly the opportunities we have to utilize these gifts that God has given us.”