I am thankful for...

Around the holidays, it is easy for us to remember what we are thankful for. Sitting around a table adorned with food and surrounded by friends, we find ourselves most reminded of all the good things we have in our life. It is a shame that this phenomenon only occurs for a month out of the year. For the other ~330 days, we drone on through daily routines: class, work, grocery shopping, lunches with friends, phone calls to family. And we continue this way until turkeys, fall leaves, Christmas ornaments, and trees have taken over the ‘seasonal’ section of every store and remind us to reflect on all the good things we have. 

            Obviously, this isn’t quite true for everyone. Sometimes we are reminded, in a quick moment, how much we have to enjoy. It is these small moments that I found in my Jumpstart classroom. Twice a week, my team and I embark on the journey to our partner school: a shuttle, a metro, a transfer, another metro, a walk, and then three flights of stairs stand in our way. We usually tackle each one. Then, we gather our things and head to our class room – room 118: the place where these small moments remind me of what I have to be thankful for.

            Entering college, I had no idea about Jumpstart – it was a lucky find. At a career fair table sat my site manager – I paced around, peering at the materials she had brought. She told me more about what Jumpstart was and we briefly chatted.  I left her with a resume, went home, and logged onto jstart.org. Occasionally, when I am watching my Corp members, I think about how that exchange started this amazing experience.

            Although every amazing experience comes with some struggle – and our team has had plenty of struggles – I can’t imagine a better way to devote my time to my community. Even after a difficult day in the classroom, we all leave feeling that we accomplished something that was worth the effort and frustration. Despite all the work that we put into Jumpstart and the added stress that comes along, I have never thought, “You know, this isn’t worth it.” It isn’t easy, but it most certainly is worth it.

            Jumpstart has given me so much to be thankful for – I am thankful for my teammates who put in the enormous effort to provide the best service to our children. I am thankful for the squeals of “Jumpstart” that welcome us into the classroom. I am thankful for kids who enthusiastically sing Eensy Weensy Spider. I am thankful for washable paint. I am thankful that my name has become Ms. Jumpstart. I am thankful for hand sanitizer and Emergen-C. But most of all, I am thankful that there are organizations like Jumpstart give children the tools to succeed.  And I am thankful that Jumpstart is giving me the tools to make a better future.

Thanks Jumpstart, and Happy Thanksgiving.  

~Hannah Holley

Team Leader

Team Opportunity