Meaningful Reflections: February 2025 - Human Sunshine Awards

By Kim Crawford Meeks
Spiritual Health & Counseling Manager

The theme for the Spiritual Health and Counseling Department for 2025 is: “If you can’t find the sunshine, be the sunshine.” On the award, the definition of human sunshine reads: “Human Sunshine (You) — A person whose smile can light up a room, whose laughter is infectious and whose energy is like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day."

The first two recipients of our Human Sunshine Awards are Ashley Peyer, manager of volunteer services and the gift shop at University Hospital, and Lucio Cruz, construction coordinator, facilities management at Children’s & Women’s Hospital.

Congratulations to Ashley and Lucio! All who know them will not be surprised. They are both human sunshine to all they meet along the journey.

About Ashley Peyer

Ashley Peyer is native to Baldwin County and Fairhope. She is married (20 years) with two children, Nicholas and Madeline. She is a graduate of the University of South Alabama with a degree in health education. Ashley shares, “Fun fact: I was a South Alabama cheerleader. Go Jags!”

When she is not at work, she serves at her church, First Baptist of Spanish Fort. She volunteers and helps support the youth ministry and is known as “Aunt Ashley.” She serves in the bell choir and paints small art pieces in her spare time. She has a passion for giving back to her community through serving at the Prodisee Food Pantry and helping the church youth with community service projects and ministry events.

Ashley worked for 14 years in public health, where she held various positions in the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program, commissioning officer/investigator for U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as well as regional coordinator for the ALL Kids children’s health insurance program. She led the Mobile County Tobacco-Free Coalition, educating the community and local governments on the dangers of secondhand smoke, contributed to the passing of three smoke-free ordinances in Mobile County, assisted in establishing Mobile’s first peer helper SWAT (Student’s Working Against Tobacco) Program, developed the Tobacco-Free College Campus toolkit for statewide outreach initiatives, and received national recognition for developing Covering Kids and Families outreach toolkit for hurricane/disasters.

Currently, she is the manager of volunteer services and the hospital gift shop. She helps promote, coordinate, and lead all volunteer activities and events. Through her work at The Shoppe, she spreads love and cheer to staff, visitors, and patients who come through the doors.

Ashley's inspiration to offer sunshine to others stems from her love of God, and she says she lives by the motto, "What would Jesus do?”

“What I love most about my job is the people. I get to work and lead a diverse group of people and help them navigate volunteering so that they get the most out of their experience. Working with volunteers is a vital component to our health system. We value and appreciate all of our volunteers for giving their gift of time and support to our staff and hospitals. Volunteers help bring comfort and companionship to patients and visitors as well as support to staff. This directly impacts our mission. I get to witness the volunteers discover a sense of purpose while helping someone. I am able to see them build stronger interpersonal relationships, develop new skills, and grow personally through their volunteer experience. This is extremely rewarding to me, and I am very proud of our volunteer program. Our gift shop clerks, Patricia Taylor and Hannah Mabry, both exude so much happiness and positivity. They are so encouraging to me and to our patients and staff.”

She adds, “My favorite quote on sunshine is, ‘When the world is bleak around you, how do you find the sunshine?’' I love this quote from Walt Whitman and feel it’s fitting for this story: 'Keep your face always toward the sunshine — and the shadows will fall behind you.' We should always focus on the positive aspects of life, even when things are tough, and the negativity will naturally fall away. My favorite Bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11-13, 'For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

About Lucio Cruz 

Lucio Cruz has a family of three boys and one girl. He has worked with the University of South Alabama for more than 10 years as a subcontractor on the USA campus, and at USA Health University Hospital and Children's & Women's Hospital. He loves bass fishing and enjoys spending time with his family. He is the construction coordinator but is also involved in other areas of facilities and helps in other ways.

Lucio states that he loves working with all of the people at USA Health, and says they work as a team and make each other feel like family. Lucio tells us that, "We can all lean on the support here, which is more than I have had in any other work environment. I feel like we impact everyone in this hospital when it comes to renovations for employees and families. Yes, the fulfillment is in seeing employees happy and the appreciation they give us when we create a new space. Also, the joy in seeing the patients enjoying the hard work we put into creating, renovating, and how we make it all work together. I receive sunshine from the smiles we get from all the people we help in this whole system. I like to look like a part of a big family. My human sunshine, of course, is my family that I see every morning, all my coworkers here in facilities, and all the people we help satisfy here in the health system."

He adds, "One of my favorite quotes is, 'Don’t let the shadows of yesterday spoil the sunshine of tomorrow. Live for today.' I also enjoy the quote, 'Wherever you go, no matter the weather, always bring your own sunshine.' I do want to add that a person that has always been a mentor to me is Daniel Reed, assistant director. Daniel has always inspired me to do my best and motivates me to keep going in anything I do.

"Our new director, Bobby Jones, has made a huge difference here since he started with facilities and is a big motivation for our team. Thanks again. I am proud to be here, and I am blessed to continue to be a part of this system in which I also call home."

If anyone would like to nominate a coworker for the Human Sunshine Award, please send an email to me: kcrawfordmeeks@health.southalabama.edu.

Be sure to check out Friendly February Daily Calendar. "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." Helen Keller

If you can’t find the sunshine, be the sunshine!

Learn more about Spiritual Health and Counseling at USA Health. Patients, family members, and USA Health associates are encouraged to call the Meaningful Reflections Line at 251-445-9016 for a daily recorded word of encouragement.