03/4/16
While I am grateful for each of you every single day, I want to take a moment today, on National Employee Apreciation Day, to thank you for all you do.
Michelle, a young woman who has been in our care for more than 10 years, transitioned last week to adult services. To mark this milestone, her family created a beautiful piece of art for May, accompanied by a personal letter to all of the people who have touched Michelle's life and that of her family.
I share a portion of their letter with you because it is a powerful example of the impact that you have on so many lives:
"We cannot possibly express our appreciation enough for what you have been to our daughter and to our family for the past 10 years. You all have shown Michelle and her peers, every single day, your expertise and professionalism, your dedication and sense of fun and imagination, your kindness and love. We are awed by your constant commitment to the most innocent and beautiful people; those who depend on all of us to meet their potential toward independence. And because you never focus on what society may judge is an individual’s apparent limitations, you reveal a person; one who was always there in the first place.
All of you have immensely contributed, beyond our hopes and dreams, to Michelle’s independence, social awareness, academic skill set, her enjoyment of music and of others, and more importantly, to her personal growth. We do not doubt, even for a moment, that Michelle loves being Michelle. You have given her, and therefore her entire family, the gift of realizing an amazing and joy-filled young woman who brings such happiness into the world. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!"
Thank you again,
Lauren