The staff at MorningStar Assisted Living & Memory Care has been putting Fountain Hills on the map when it comes to award-winning senior-living care, as they have achieved two awards in the last few months.

In March, the senior care facility earned Morningstar’s Community of the Year award based on 15 critical senior-care criteria including family and staff surveys, clinical areas, education and more. Not one month later, MorningStar of Fountain Hills’ Executive Director Laura Olson was presented with the Outstanding Executive Director of the Year award, which is presented annually to one leader throughout the company who exemplifies outstanding service to their families, residents and team members.

Olson said she is grateful to be considered for the Outstanding Executive Director award and to be at the helm of the award-winning community.

“I have a great team of seasoned leaders and supportive staff that make our community successful,” Olson said. “We strive for our mission to honor, value and invest, which is simply doing the right thing for the right reason.

“I also have outstanding regional and home office support from MorningStar. It’s a beautiful community in which to work. MorningStar has high expectations of how we should treat our residents, and we aim to meet those pillars of our mission and value statement.”

At the Community of the Year celebration, representatives from the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Fountain Hills attended a ribbon cutting ceremony at MorningStar, where Vice Mayor Peggy McMahon declared Thursday, March 23, 2023, as MorningStar of Fountain Hills Senior Living Day.

According to Olson, this award validates the goals she laid out for herself and her staff and “confirms that I’ve surrounded myself with like-minded people.”

Outside of leading MorningStar, Olson is a part-time instructor at Rio Salado College teaching Assisted Living Leadership classes. She is a former Rotarian and was a founding member of the Fountain Hills Community Lions Club.

“This year has been amazing and I’m both blessed and grateful to all our residents, families, and staff for their continued support,” Olson said. “We’re very grateful for all the support we’ve received from our Fountain Hills community.”

Olson has been executive director at MorningStar for five years and has served at the same level for other senior-care facilities for over 10 years.