Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.
- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Thrive Central Oregon has been honored to have Sophie and Abby on our team over the past year. Coming to us through the Jesuit Volunteer Program Northwest in conjunction with Americorps, volunteers serve full-time with local organizations throughout the Pacific Northwest while living in community with other program members. Abby and Sophie's drive, compassion and commitment to our mission has kept us energized and grateful that we get to do the work that we do. Here they reflect on what the past year has been like for them.
When we first started at Thrive at the beginning of last August, our year-long contract seemed like an endless unknown road stretched before us. Now, we are at our final month of being Community Outreach Advocates at Thrive, and it feels like our journey has only just begun. Looking back over this past year, it is amazing to think of how many people we met, phone calls we made, walk-in sites we held, and stories we heard. It has been a full spectrum of emotions–some days have been heavy and wrought with pain as we accompany clients during tragedies and other days have been filled with laughter and levity as we celebrate the wins. But we wouldn’t trade that rollercoaster for anything; it has brought so much value to our lives, teaching us about humanity and the type of people we want to be.
Thank you to our executive director Sarah for giving us this opportunity, being a constant source of support and guidance, and for placing your trust in us. Thank you to our amazing coworkers who have taught us so much about what it means to be empowering and empathetic advocates for the folks we are working alongside. Thank you to all those working at partner agencies who have shown us the beauty of collaboration and community. And thank you to all the clients that we have met along the way for trusting us, humbling us, inspiring us, and allowing us to be a part of your journeys. You have changed our lives for the better and we will never forget you.
While we are sad to be leaving this community, we know we will be leaving a part of ourselves behind here and Central Oregon will always be a home to us.
Join us in thanking Sophie and Abby!