'Tis the season!

Seating Team Lead: We Day Waterloo Region!

My oh my, it has been a while since I last posted! The past few months have been crazy ones since my return from trips. Immediately after returning I jumped into We Day mode. This past season I was asked to be a "Seating Team Lead". What that means is myself and another colleague were the point people and in charge of creating plans to seat 15,000-18,000 youth at each We Day! That means ourselves, about 6 other staff members, and 60-100 volunteers effectively sat thousands of people so they could enjoy the day with great seats. Needless to say, it was very time consuming, and at times stressful, job but it was well worth it. We held We Days in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Waterloo, and Montreal (only one I did not attend). It was so lovely to be able to see each city and explore different parts of Canada. My highlights from the tour would definitely be: dancing with cowboys in Calgary, walking the streets of Vancouver (one of my favorite cities), and making new friends with people I don't have the pleasure of always interacting with. It was an amazing journey and I was able to gain so many skills that will follow me into more careers.

Once We Day was complete, I had to start wrapping up my life in Toronto, knowing that I would be leaving Free The Children and coming back to Massachusetts in December. However, when I returned, I received an email from the Executive Director of FTC, my director, and the Director of HR, asking to meet with me. When I met with them they informed me of a position opening up in the US that they wanted ME for! The position would be one to build our ground in Minnesota where I would be doing outreach speeches to get schools excited and involved with FTC, meeting with teachers and principals, working on corporate sponsorship at times, and anything else that gets thrown my way. I knew it would be a lot of work and a very challenging role... one in which I would be able to use the skills I already have and also gain new skills to carry over into future careers... So I said YES! Nathaniel and I will be moving to Minneapolis next week to begin the next chapter of our lives together and we couldn't be more excited!

Nathaniel and I

Me, Britt, and Larissa

After telling my team that this move would be taking place, I started researching the role and all I would have to do. My final month in Toronto was jampacked with figuring out this new role, my best friend coming to see the city, holiday parties, and much time with friends and loved ones. We had our 2nd annual Merry Giving, along with holiday parties and a goodbye party for Larissa and I.

This past week has been spending lots of time with family and celebrating the holidays, while packing and getting ready for the next adventure. I miss Toronto a lot but I feel comfort knowing that I am not yet leaving the Free The Children family and will only be a simple phone call away.

Here's to new adventures in new cities! Until next time...