Kelly Perkins is an expert at giving direction. As a team member of Propark Mobility, one of the nation’s largest privately owned parking companies, she knows how to orchestrate an efficient and effective parking operation.
In her role as parking attendant at Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento, Calif., Kelly acts as a gatekeeper to ensure a seamless parking experience for patients, staff, and visitors alike. From providing instructions on validation vouchers and stamp cards to ensuring gates are operating efficiently and parkers are receiving assistance, Kelly knows the rhythm of the campus. Her attention to detail brings “a human touch” that means a lot to patients – and their loved ones – who are dealing with stress and anxiety.
Kelly gets it. In fact, you could say she is really in tune with patients – literally. She sings to them!
“I always sing to elevate my mood and keep myself positive throughout the day,” Kelly said. “It’s been a bonus that others seem to appreciate it, too. I love it when I can connect on a personal level with my customers, especially when the song I’m singing resonates with them. The best times are when they start singing along, or when I can introduce someone to something new.”
Over the years, Kelly and her singing have become beloved on the Sutter campus. She sings a “celebration song” for patients on their last day of chemotherapy – a coveted event discussed in the treatment room – and even takes requests. One patient, originally from Ireland, requested a tune from a small Irish band. Kelly found it online, practiced, and by the time the patient was set to leave the hospital, she was prepared to serenade him.
Kelly’s love of singing began long before her move to California in 1983. Growing up on the East Coast, she started doing musical theater at the age of 5. “I don’t have a shy bone in my body,” she said.
“I love to sing, and I cannot do it quietly. My father taught me how to project.”
And project she does. Kelly often sings in the parking garages – she likes the “awesome acoustics” – and, while attending to four-story garages, it’s not uncommon for her voice to “be heard on the top floor.”
That voice has echoed across Sutter Medical Center’s parking operation for nearly three decades. Kelly began her career in the parking industry in December 1993, with a temporary position directing traffic at a mall for the Christmas season.
Two weeks later, she was offered a full-time position as the parking lot cashier at Sutter Medical Center. She’s been on the campus ever since, joining the Propark team when the company began operating the facility.
From day one, Kelly has often received compliments from patients and visitors, who say her singing brightens their day. She’s happy she can bring smiles to people’s faces while sharing a variety of tunes. “I have a music app on my phone with almost 1,400 of my favorite songs,” Kelly explained.
“I let it play on shuffle and spend most of my day singing along. I have a wide range of music and most genres are represented. There’s music from the 1940s to the present, including music from around the world.”
Because of Kelly’s positive impact, patients and Sutter staff alike have been known to express their gratitude with small tokens of appreciation. And, while she’s not seeking anything in return for sharing her love of music, “they are all special,” she said.
“I get a special kick out of them when they’ve been handmade for me. They’re also special because they tell me I’m doing a good job at lifting others. I’ve said for years: If smiles are contagious, I intend to infect everyone I can.”
Kelly was recently honored by Propark Mobility as its West Coast Rock Star of the Month. In more than 100 cities across the country, Hartford, Conn.-based Propark Mobility, www.propark.com, provides service to over 750 locations, ranging from hospitality and commercial properties to healthcare facilities and more.
Samantha Cornell, Account Manager, Propark. She can be reached at samantha.cornell@propark.com
