MARCO ALVAREZ, a certified nursing assistant at the Garden Park Care Center in Garden Grove, won a new Ford EcoSport (Sun Mar photo).

A certified nursing assistant in a Garden Grove health care facility got a rather spectacular Christmas gift at his place of work.

To honor their 4,000 frontline essential healthcare employees during this COVID-holiday season, Sun Mar Healthcare hosted a grand-prize drawing for all employees. In addition to the gift giveaway drawings conducted at each facility, larger grand prizes included $500 gift cards, a year’s worth of gasoline and two brand-new Ford EcoSport vehicles.

Marco Alcaraz, a CNA at Garden Park Care Center in Garden Grove, for more than 15 years, was the winner of the car in the Southern California region. Theresa Lopez Placencia, a CNA at Valley West Post-Acute in Williams, California, for 14 years, was the winner in the Northern California area.

The vehicles, adorned with a festive bow and balloons, were awaiting these two hard-working CNAs in the parking lot of their facilities shortly after their names were announced during the surprise reveal.

“Marco and Theresa are much-loved members of our Garden Park and Valley West teams, and their coworkers were thrilled that they won,” said Bryce Porter, chief marketing officer of Sun Mar Healthcare. “During such a trying year, we are honored to be able to celebrate all our employees – our Healthcare Super Heroes – who have sacrificed so much over the past year to care for people that are unable care for themselves.”

The holiday car giveaway was just one of the many employee appreciation events hosted for all of Sun Mar Healthcare’s employees. Other festivities during 2020 have included parking-lot cookouts with In-N-Out Burger, Marie Calendar pies, San Diablo churro parties, Little Caesar pizza, Rich Farm ice cream and Paderia artisan cookies.