Erika's 20 Year Anniversary Message
29.6.22To my Footprints Family,
Thursday 23 June marked a very special day for me, as it was exactly 20 years ago that I started as a newly qualified conductor in School for Parents.
Having qualified the year before and completed a telephone interview with Carole Luckwell (the head teacher of Rutland House School at a time) I arrived to the UK all the way from Hungary on a sunny afternoon and started my job (feeling rather excited and nervous) the following day.
I started my first proper job, my dream job, the beginning of my career as a conductor and my independent adult life. Through the past 20 years this ‘job’ became a lot more as I recognised it to be my opportunity and passion in life, rather than ‘just a job’.
Reflecting on these past 20 years today is making me feel very emotional and nostalgic.
I feel immensely lucky to have found such a unique place to work for and the absolute privilege to have met so many amazing children, their special families and wonderful colleagues. I am truly and utterly grateful to every single one of you and wanted to thank you all for allowing me to be part of your wonderful journeys. I have and continue to learn so much from all of you about courage, determination and the compassionate love that transforms and unites us all in Footprints. Once you are part of the Footprints Family, you’re always a part of it.
My 20 years with you ‘only’ qualifies me to be one of the ‘junior’ members of staff, as some of my wonderful colleagues have been here a lot longer than me. Like I said, this ‘job’ has the potential to become a lot more and once you fell in love with it, you will stick with it for that love. It becomes part of your life, it becomes part of who you are and you will be forever grateful for the privilege of being part of it. You get to appreciate how different can be so beautiful and can find friends forever to journey with you.
It also just happens that my 20th anniversary coincides with Footprints’ (formerly known as School for Parents) 20th anniversary of being an independent charity. Please feel free to join me celebrate this by sharing any of your memories (photos or stories) with us all to tell everyone about what Footprints meant to you and how it touched your life.
To all my Footprints Family and – thank you all from the bottom of my heart for being part of my Footprints journey for the past 20 years! It’s been an absolute privilege and joy and I’m really looking forward to the next 20 years with you. Erika xx
