Goodbye to Sarah

Today was Manager Sarah's last day and we are all really going to miss her. She has written this goodbye message to share;

The time has come for me to say “goodbye” to my role as Manager of this amazing Charity and pass the custodianship of it onto my successor, Kelly Dadd. It may be “goodbye”, but Home-Start-Reading will always be a part of my life and heart, for the following reasons:

1. It is true to its word. The model of Home-Start works. It makes a difference to local families and produces fantastic outcomes. Compared to huge corporate Charities, Home-Start schemes receive a fraction of individual donations, simply because we put our money towards helping families, not self-promotion. I have always found this frustrating, as small local charities are able to assess and react to local need, they are more transparent and have a “face” which the community sees. I will continue to support and shout about the amazing difference Home-Start makes.

2. The volunteers. Over the past eight years I have been in awe of the commitment from our long-standing volunteers – from the home-visiting volunteers to our board of Trustees. I have met many wonderful individuals, who despite their own life and time challenges have still wanted to give their time. The home-visiting volunteers commit to turning up to a family’s home every week and adapting their support to the most pressing need. Showing that weekly commitment cannot be underestimated in instilling the feeling of being valued. The skills, connections, knowledge and patience of the Trustees, who work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that the Charity is sustainable and funded should never be overlooked – they are the unsung heroes. No volunteers = no Home-Start, they are the backbone and without them the whole scheme would collapse.

3. The families. Through no fault of their own many families are find coping difficult. I have always felt privileged to be able to work alongside many of these families as a trusted person. Seeing them slowly but surely make changes, grow in confidence, independently seek support and have the headspace to understand their situations has always been my motivation for doing my job.

4. The team. Home-Start Reading has a highly skilled and caring team at its heart. Each member brings their own strengths and skills. Our office environment is one that every office should aim for – we have trust, good communication, transparency, support, kindness and most importantly a lot of laughter. If I could bottle the feeling of being around this team I would be a very rich person! So to you, I am going to miss you all so much you are all so truly wonderful.

I am very confident that Kelly will fit in well and continue to keep the Home-Start Reading flame alight.

Sarah x