Side by Side
An Email Written to Laura Birdsall, Side by Side (PA) Director
By: Jenna DeLeone, 2009 Valedictorian at Phoenixville High School
It's Jenna. Hopefully, the end of the year is going well for you as it is quickly coming to an end! I can hardly believe graduation is literally around the corner!
You can be sure to expect both Bradley and I at Camp Jumpstart this summer. The more I thought about it, the more I realized my summer would not be the same without it. Truly, it has touched my life in so many ways; I cannot express that to you enough. It was one of the things that made me realize I need to work with kids in my future. My passion for children is definitely harbored from my involvement with the program.
I also have some other fabulous news for you. Do you remember how I told you a while ago that I wrote about you and Camp Jumpstart in one of my scholarship essays? Well, I am honored to be the recipient of that scholarship; it's called the Message of Hope Scholarship. The head of the organization just contacted me last night with the great news, and I knew I just HAD to tell you!!! I'm very excited, but you should know I owe a lot to you. Truthfully, you've been a role model for me over the past (five or four??) years now. I owe a lot to you for the way you showed me how you can make a difference in the world: through the lives and education of children. The fire that burns in your heart for helping children has, without a doubt, caught on in my heart as well. For that reason, everything that you taught me and I don't think you even realized it, I am so thankful to have had you as a mentor in my life.
