Founder's Message
Many times you find your passions nestled inside your very own circumstance! To think, as a youth who needed much care and guidance I recieved nurturing love, care, and support from a number of individuals. Mentors and teachers who knew nothing regarding my circumstance or the troubles of my heart, saw fit to help me along the way. Today, I meet youth who do not have one mentor in their life.
One of the most valuable lessons I learned from my mentors early on was the gift of giving. Because I came from an impoverished community I thought I had nothing to offer the world, more so the people around me. I quickly learned that the art of giving had little to do with the amount of money you have. It is the intangible things such as time and nurturance that made giving so beautiful. The use of my hands, the love in my heart, the way I cared enough to care for people was my way of giving without knowing. I'm so thankful for mentors who encouraged me to participate in community service projects while in grade school and so on through high school. By the time I graduated from high school, I served my community with over 4,000 hours. Engaging in community efforts at an early age encouraged me to choose service as a way of life.
I worked at Children's Medical Center as a nurse extern, through a summer program in which, I gained much awareness regarding the needs of not only the patient but their family members as well. My days at the hospital included me carefully removing IVs, sitting and playing with small children who were waiting for their siblings to come out of surgery, or joyfully discharging a patient in a wheelchair to their car. I found myself happy working in this environment, because I was there caring for those who needed it.
I have also served in the field as a home-health care professional as well as a nurse aide in a nursing home setting. Day in and day out, I drove to local resident's homes and provided care needed. Whether it was laundry to be washed, fresh orange juice to be squeezed, food to be prepared, or simply company to be kept, I still found joy in giving to those who needed it. Feeding and bathing individuals who could no longer care for themselves are memories I'll treasure forever. Life stories to be remembered, personalities that changed quicker than the weather, I think in this instance they gave me more than I could give them!
Now working as a case manager for a foster care and adoption agency, I find this job very rewarding in so many ways. One way in particular is that I get a chance to speak words of wisdom into youth who need to hear it from someone who has had similar experiences. Reminded of the disappointments and traumas I experienced in life, I find myself wanting to serve children and families more and more.
With a greater desire to give, I'm simply recycling what was given to me!
