Professional Partner of the Month: April 2007
Abby Brown
“Abby intuitively picks up on kids’ needs. When she’s involved, it makes a difference. The kids are very responsive to her, as are the families. The services she provides are meant to be short-term, to get kids back on track, but a lot of the kids – and their families – ask for Abby to stay involved.”
- Eileen Dunn, Jersey Shore School District
“She is one of the most dedicated people I have ever met. No matter who the child is, or whether or not she works with them, if they are in her area and she is able to, she gets them to camp and makes sure that they come in the years that follow.”
- Karen Zawitkowski, The Second Mile
The above words are just a few samples of the high praise elicited from the people who know Abby and the work she does. A counselor with Family Life Services in Williamsport, Abby Brown is The Second Mile’s inaugural Professional Partner of the Month. She has been involved with The Second Mile for many years, utilizing several of its programs, especially The Summer Challenge Program. She has been selected for this recognition by The Second Mile Program staff due to her incredible commitment to help children and families in Central Pennsylvania.
In addition to faithfully referring children who would benefit from The Summer Challenge Program, Abby also takes it upon herself to help families with the paperwork, then pick many of the children up, drive them to State College on Sunday, and register them. By the time she gets back to Williamsport, it has been an 8-hour day. Then she drives back on Friday to pick the children up from camp and return them home. Last summer, multiply this week of service by five (to five separate weeks of Second Mile camps), and you’ll start to get a sense of Abby’s incredible commitment.
Just last month, Abby called The Second Mile office to inquire about a boy who missed The Summer Challenge Program last year, as she wanted to refer him again this summer. She had already helped complete his referral paperwork, in collaboration with other professionals working with this boy, to expedite the process. While on this same phone call, Abby asked about another boy whom she had driven to camp last summer and facilitated getting his younger brother referred by verifying she had a current phone number. If she didn’t have the correct number, she stated she would just drive to his house to get the paperwork completed.
These actions are what Ms. Brown does time and again – "going above and beyond the call of duty" to make sure each child receives the maximum services and experiences possible. If she runs across a challenge, she asks others for help, or just takes care of the issue herself – even if it means multiple, 200-mile roundtrips over her summer weekends. She serves as the person who makes sure none of these children fall through the cracks.
What would motivate her to work so hard? When Abby was asked this question, she very modestly and hesitantly gave this response:
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“I just want to see these kids dream . . . The Second Mile shows them what they can aspire to. At camp, they’re in college dorms, and this shows them what is possible.” |
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For being an angel to so many children, and helping them to dream, Abby Brown is The Second Mile’s Professional Partner of the Month. She clearly goes “The Second Mile” to improve the lives of others, and we salute her!
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