Upon our arrival you greeted us with genuine enthusiasm and set forth immediately to make us feel welcome and my husband appreciated. I could see right away that this partnership and the program itself was close to your heart.
I have to admit when Dean first told me about the program my mind went straight to troubled youth that were going through the motions to appease authority, and I have never been so happy to say that I was wrong! These children are motivated and, wanting not only to prove their worth to others, but to themselves as well. As they arrived I saw a sense of pride on their faces, they knew they had accomplished something great.
A lot of accolades went to the partners and the instructors themselves which granted was warranted, but I felt that something very important was overlooked.
These children did something for the partners and instructors alike, they rekindled the passion for the trade that my husband has dedicated his adult life to. Each night after my husband taught he would regale me with the day’s lessons, the student’s questions, their accomplishments and antics. He would often sit down and plan out the next day’s session thinking about individual’s strengths and weaknesses, pairing up students who would push each other to do their very best, how to best express the importance of safety on the job, and how to make it fun. He would come home excited when one of the students would perform above expectations! He often would talk about them so much so that I felt I knew these people even before laying eyes upon them.
For these reasons I would like to express my thanks to each student, they gave the instructors a sense of pride!
Often times others overlook the efforts and skill-sets required to lay the very foundations of the society they live in. The importance of individuals who build the homes, and office buildings we live and work in each day are taken for granted. They (persons in the trades are even looked down upon) it is more than nice to know that the youth of today see the importance of such people and want to follow in their footsteps, it has reaffirmed my faith in our youth and our community. As I looked around the room I saw parents, much like Brandon’s Mom swell with pride and sigh with relief that their son or daughter was not only going to be okay but a functional and important part of society, Fathers with chests out and heads held high, Mothers with tears in their eyes, what a wonderful way to end a day!
I thank you, your team, the partners, and especially the students!