On Saturday, May 13th Share the Care had their first BBQ/Picnic for staff and their families.  (See pictures).  We had amazing food (thank you Fred and Martha) and fellowship.  It was great seeing the families of some of the staff who have been here awhile.  These kids really grow up fast.  One of the grand kids who was an infant in a car seat, last I saw him, is four years old already!  It was also fun to get to know some of our newer staff members and their families.  We had spouses, kids and grandkids.  Great day!!

I attempt to get out and have lunch with the staff at each of the centers several times per year. I have been to three of the centers in the last two weeks and will get to the other two in the weeks to come.  It is inspiring for me to have the opportunity to talk with and hear from our wonderful staff about, not only their jobs but, their lives. 

Seeing these folks both at work and away from work with their families just reinforces what I have always known - It is these good and loving people who are at the heart of the great work we do here at Share the Care every day!  If you are one of the families we serve then I am certainly preaching to the choir.  In fact, the success of our day centers as well as the other services we provide is a direct result of the trust that families put in these people who are at the heart of Share the Care's mission.

There is Pamela, who has been with Share the Care for 20 years as a Program Assistant.  At lunch the other day she told me how another day care offered her more money to go work there.  She said that she would never take an offer to go someplace else because she believes in the philosophy of STC to treat every client like the individual that they are.

There is Patricia, originally from Haiti, who just started with us last month.  She takes 3 buses to get to work each day.  Last week on Sunday she volunteered to man a booth at the church where our center is located, even though the buses don't run on Sunday and she had to walk.  At lunch she told me how grateful she is to have the job and how much she loves the clients we serve.

So from our longest to our most recent staff members we are looking at individuals who are called to do this work.  They are committed to serve and to do it in the way Share the Care has been doing it for the last 30 years.  We see the faces of our fathers, mothers, husbands or wives in the faces of your family members and we treat them, and you, the way we would want to be treated. 

And so, the next time you run into a Share the Care staff member give them a pat on the back or even a hug.  I consider them my family - just as we all consider you - ours!