Monday, August 29, 2011

Goodbye to Sarah Leiner

Unfortunately, Sarah Leiner has concluded her AmeriCorps year of service for Met Council. I speak for everyone she worked with when I say thank you and we'll miss you. Below is Sarah's goodbye message:


As my AmeriCorps term at Met Council comes to a conclusion, I would like to take this opportunity to express how grateful I am to have landed this wonderful job. Not only did this experience open my eyes to the range of needs among poor New Yorkers, but it helped me to develop a greater ethic of service, as well as helped me to grow as a professional.


I truly loved my job as an AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinator, helping to create and sustain ongoing programs that addressed the
nutritional and social needs of Met Council’s senior residents. I found working with this vulnerable population to be very meaningful and rewarding. As I embark on the next chapter in my life, in which I will be pursuing a Master’s in Social Work at NYU, I will be taking on a field placement where I’ll be able to apply theory to practice. When I met with my field placement adviser, I already knew that I wanted to be placed at an agency whose clients were senior citizens. Thankfully, I was able to secure a case manager position at Search and Care, whose mission is to seek out older people in the community who need help in managing life's daily activities or accessing essential services, and to provide them the support and companionship they require to live with security and dignity in the manner they choose. After having learned so much about the elderly at Met Council and being provided the opportunity to work directly with this population, I believe my transition into Search and Care will be a smooth one.

And although I only earned a small stipend for the year, I certainly felt a wealth of satisfaction that comes from helping others.


A special thanks to my colleagues and supervisors for making my experience at Met Council an excellent one!

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