Dear Friends of Jubilee JumpStart,
Welcome to November, a month that often highlights gratitude. And while we love Thanksgiving and all of the family and fun it brings, I have to say: Every month is full of gratitude at Jubilee JumpStart! In fact, just the past month alone has us reveling in gratitude for the abundance of gifts surrounding our center.
We celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month through the leadership of many teachers who generously shared their cultures and experiences. I was struck by how our community alights with richness and vibrancy when each of us is able to fully present who we are and where we come from. Teachers shared foods, customs, photos, and memories of their home countries that helped our center recognize the connections we have here and throughout the world. The month of “visits” to El Salvador, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico made me so extra grateful for our diverse and beautiful staff.
We walked through the final two weeks of October Falling in Love with Books every step of the way. I am always grateful for the joy found with our children learning and playing. And then even more so on special days such as our Storybook Parade when the thrill of dressing up in costume was blended with marching down the street with parents and neighbors smiling and cheering us on. I love to see the ways in which our children teach adults all around them that every day is one for fun learning and serious joy.
Our Classroom Heroes program launched for the new school year and stepped up into a new level of community with teachers making personal connections between their classrooms and our heroes. We have long been deeply grateful for the security and support Jubilee JumpStart’s most committed donors give to us, and we are thrilled to have a deeply real way to share the impact they are making. Every bit of our work is built upon connection and relationship, so providing pathways for our program and heroes to see and know each other strengthens us in every way.
I am sending you wishes of health, happiness, gratitude, and joy as the close of 2021 approaches. I hope your holidays are full of all good things, such as family, rest, and fun. We at Jubilee JumpStart are celebrating each part of our community as we constantly reflect on the love, strength, and caring that makes us a place for children and families to grow and thrive.
“It is not joy that makes us grateful, it is gratitude that makes us joyful.”
~Brother David Steindl-Rast
Sincerely,
Dee Dee Parker Wright
Executive Director
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