Grateful for making a difference

The biggest thing in my life that I have failed to post about is my job. 

I work for a non-profit, Extra Special People. I am the Special Events and Communications Coordinator. I started out as a lowly special events intern for Laura Whitaker last year during the Big Hearts Pageant. She found out that I wanted to be an event planner and gave me this AMAZING opportunity! After one practice, the kids had stolen my heart and I couldn't turn back. I spent the rest of the spring praying that God would somehow open up an opportunity for me to work for them (even though at the time they had no 'special events' position). God definitely answered my prayer and they offered me the job in May (right before I graduated and left for the summer). Ideally, I would have started right away and started to get to know the kids and spend time with them during the summer but I already had a job lined up as the returning Arts & Crafts director at Camp Hope For Kids. So I started my amazing adventure with ESP full time at the beginning of August.

my desk! (looks a bit different now, haha)

sign outside the building

At ESP, we serve kids and young adults with developmental disabilities. I am in charge of planning the special (fundraising) events > Fall Festival, ML5K, Big Hearts, Golf Tournament and Jump, Fly. I also do the communications so I write & send out newsletters, send emails to the parents and general ESP 'universe' and I work with our website and public relations.

My favorite two memories/aspects of my job thus far:

1. Family Camp - we took 9 families to Camp Twin Lakes - Will A Way for a weekend away. It was such a fun time to bond with the families and with other staff members. It was my first time out at Camp Twin Lakes and I loved it! My sole job for the weekend was to be the photographer and what fun that was! Here's some highlights:

marc taking the stage!

loved dancing and getting to know this sweet girl!

smothering shaving cream all over Eli's face

2. Fall Festival - this was the first event that I planned! And it was such a success. I almost cried at one point because I was so happy seeing all the kids and their families there and just being able to enjoy themselves! I loved seeing all the costumes they came in!

 Yesterday, we had a staff non-thanksgiving thanksgiving lunch. It was nice to sit down after the hard work over the past few months and just enjoy spending time with each other and not talking about work. We shared the five things we were grateful for our job and here was my list:

1. Relationships with my committee members, i feel like they are my friends!

2. How much the kids have taught me about my character and how I've grown because of them.

3. The staff and how I know that they genuinely care about me and my well being and happiness.

4. Being able to work at a place that I know I'm making a difference every day.

5. The pure joy and love from the kids. 

 

I'm sure in the coming months I will have many more memories/funny stories and more things I'm grateful for.

Funniest moment of my job so far: When one of the campers pretended to die and asked the cute volunteer to give her mouth-to-mouth...they keep me laughing :)