To you who take care of a million small moments that help kids feel better, live better, and put pieces back together.

To you who know in hard times how best to respond,
And choose again and again to go above and beyond;

Though you don’t hear enough what great work you have done,
Without you Klingberg just wouldn’t run.

You are the one:
The one who gives without expecting to receive,
The one who gives kids a reason to believe;

The one who takes their grief and anger and sadness,
And can sometimes tease out just a whisper of gladness;

The one who works with fathers and mothers,
Finding forever families, lighting the way for others;

You are the one:
The one easing doctor anxieties and giving medication,
The one working terrible hours with so much dedication;

The one who feeds bodies and souls on a daily basis,
And cleans up, puts up, and deals with their messes;

The one bearing daily witness to kids’ pain and trauma,
And returning, in all weather, to deal with more drama;

You are the one:
The one doing “extra” work without recognitions
—as if your regular work weren’t enough—
Delivering kids gifts and turkeys on those last-minute missions;

The 3rd shift warriors, calming kids through darkest hours,
Making good use of your emotional super powers;

The ones who teach daily with patience and praise,
The ones fixing networks and servers to amaze,
The ones who hone vocational aptitude,
The ones who keep our money accrued,
The ones who write, and budget, and train,
And replace broken windows to keep out the rain;

ALL of you are needed, you are ALL the solution;
Words cannot capture the magnitude of your contribution.

By Chris Greene, Heather Walsh, and the Evening of Recognition Planning Committee