This weekend, the TWLOHA team said goodbye to a very special group of people. It’s hard to even know what to write about the Fall 2011 Interns leaving; their contribution to TWLOHA as an organization and to our team has been monumental. They walked with us through a major transition, moving our office from Cocoa to Melbourne; they were our nomad interns, living in three very different houses between August and December; they answered a total of 1,814 messages during their time here, sharing a message of hope each time they clicked “send.”
And they just helped us win a $1 million grant that will help provide countless individuals with hope and healing, as well as treatment and recovery.
The Fall Interns were arguably the most diverse group of interns TWLOHA has ever hosted. But even though the six of them grew up on four different continents, they put their hearts and souls into this idea of community that is so important to this internship, and they have created something entirely unique and special for themselves: a group of people that will fight for each other and continue to choose to do the hard work of loving one another. And they have the tools to take the principles of building healthy community back to their homes.
Thank you Raquel, Abi, Barry, Joel, Lindsey, and Jeung Hwa for spending these months with us. Our hearts break as you leave us, but we take joy in knowing that you have become a part of our TWLOHA family during your time here. Even as we say goodbye, we know that you are not leaving entirely. The effect you’ve had on us cannot be erased, and we’re definitely okay with that.
Emmi
Intern Program Director