Letter: Off to school

Editor: This is a letter of goodbye and thank you! I am excited
to say that on August 11 I will be going away to Sonoma State
University. However, I¹m sorry to say August 11 will also be my
last day as a staff member at the Boys & Girls Club of
Healdsburg. I began attending the Boys & Girls Club when I was
11 years old, started volunteering when I began high school, and
have been working as a staff member for the past year and a half.
The Boys & Girls Club has given me tremendous support to become
a better person and to strive for a better education, both
emotionally and financially. With the help and guidance of
Executive Director Anita Templer, I was able to receive two
scholarships to help pay for my education at Sonoma State
University.
In these past seven years at the club, I have learned about
responsibility, have gained useful working skills, have made
lasting friendships, and have discovered more about myself that I
might otherwise have not discovered. I am truly going to miss the
relationships I have built with all of the children and staff, and
would like to wish the club the very best, because they truly
deserve it. I am going to miss the Friday BBQs, playing ³Thunder²
in the gym, making murals in the art room, and the intense foosball
games (which I always seemed to win). I¹m going to miss going on
field trips to watch football games, hanging out in the teen
center, and most of all, I¹m going to miss helping to make a
difference. The club has put so much time and effort into helping
me with anything and everything I have needed, and I am very
thankful and deeply appreciate it all.
Jessica Viruet, Healdsburg