In my time as Director at Club there have been few staff that I have worked with who can take criticism – both negative and positive – and nurture it for their own betterment as well as those around them than this person does. From the outside, the role of Program Manager gets a bad wrap as though it isn’t as hard and overwhelming as it is. It is not uncommon for part time staff to assume that program managers sit around all day waiting for kids to get to Club. More than once parents have felt that because the Program Managers aren’t parents themselves, they can’t understand what is going on with their child. This Program Manager has faced all these assumptions head on and has been able to rise above them with grace. While the learning curve, as all Program Managers can attest to, is steep, the reward in the end is worth it.

Early on, juggling the responsibilities was a little shaky with some days ending in tears and others with laughter – but this Program Manger persisted. A few times we had to talk about performance but never once was she one to shy away from the difficult talks or assign blame to someone else. More importantly, she has taken the feedback and nurtured it into improving her skills and abilities every time. Because of this, we have seen her develop strong programs like Bair Cubs, a peer mentoring group that the Teens have become more and more excited about.

She has also stood toe to toe with screaming, yelling and abusive parents. Holding her ground and making sure that the members around her were safe and accounted for even though she wasn’t sure she was safe herself. Because of her dedication to self-reflection, growth as an individual, and for providing for the well-being of our members, Sarah H. has demonstrated the essence of the Core Value of Building Safe Kids & Clubs.