Delicious food and lot of laughs were some of what was served up on Friday at the MGH Institute’s Employee Appreciation Day, held at Charlestown’s Urban Wild for the third straight year.

The three-hour event allowed employees to come together and catch up with old colleagues or meet new ones.

President Deborah Jones — nearly four months on the job — was the newest colleague of them all and told employees the warm welcome she received in January was necessary for her to learn what the MGH Institute is, and where it’s going.

“I hope that with many years to come, that we'll be able to work together,” said Jones. “Whether you're doing research, or teaching, or in a clinical setting, or supporting student services, our are in our IT departments, this is just an amazing team. You're amazing people, and I'm so excited to join you.”

Interactive Bingo was part of the festivities again (encouraging participants to meet and ask questions of colleagues they may not have met before) as were games such as cornhole and bowling. In the Year of the Horse, attendees were tasked with finding how many tiny horse figurines were scattered around the room. The answer was 46 to commemorate the 46th commencement of the MGH institute held the week before.

Jones announced the Employee of the Year, which went to Assistant Dean for Faculty and Student Success Mike Boutin, who was nominated by several of his School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences colleagues.

“It’s a humbling honor and privilege to be recognized this way,” said Boutin. “For more than twelve years, I have had the distinct privilege of working with great minds, compassionate hearts, and wonderfully committed team members who make a difference every day in the future of healthcare. This award is just frosting on the cake.”

After raffle prizes were announced, the Human Resources team shared with faculty and staff the employee gift options, which include the following:

•    North Face fleece jacket
•    Ogio Transcend fleece jacket
•    Timbuk2 City Compass Messenger Bag
•    Timbuk2 City Compass Core Pack (backpack)
•    Igloo 20-Can Day Cooler

More details about employee gifts will be announced in a few weeks.