Last week, the kids and the staff surprised my coworker Jenn and I with a going away pizza party. The first Wednesday of every month we announce Youth of the Month (each staff member picks a kid that is a positive influence in the clubhouse, kind to their peers, respectful, etc) and this time we were told we were having a party for them…we just didn’t know that it was also for us! It ended up with me bawling as the kids came running up when they found out I was leaving, giving me hugs, asking me to not go, wondering who they would do their homework with, why would I leave them, etc. I felt so incredibly loved and it was just an amazing thing to hear how much I’ve been able to be there for them over the past several months…I’m not sure I was fully aware of the fact that they might miss me! This job has been an incredible blessing…I never imagined my time with them would have been this amazing. Everyone kept telling me what a great thing I was doing and how much I would be impacting those kids. In reality, I think they probably had a greater impact on my life…and I have been so fortunate to have had such a priceless experience with them. I don’t have the words to describe how much I will miss them..their personalities, smiles, jokes and weird behaviors.

The kids before the party.

After we were surprised..getting our hugs!

Beautiful leis!

Pizza party!

Jenn and I.

The wonderful staff. Lucky to call them coworkers!

Jaydin and I (one of my favorites!).

Kristina and I. I love her.

Kaiki, Chris and I.

Jenn and I with our cake.