It’s hard to believe it’s been thirteen years since we moved from Colorado to New York and Mike took up the reins of directing the WGA Equine department.
Now we are lucky enough to be embarking on a new adventure as at the end of April we begin our trip to Santa Catalina Island to be part of the revival of El Rancho Escondido.
Last week, WGA hosted a terrific “bon voyage” luncheon for Mike, with some very nice words from—among others— Executive Director Helen Hulings, past Executive Director (and the man responsible for hiring Mike) Mr. Brad Herman and Mike's supervisor Larry Lipfert. Danielle Chase, Director of Operations and Chief Compliance Officer, led off with the words below, and shared them to the William George Agency for Children's Services Facebook page.
“Mike has been with the Agency for 13 years as our Equine Program Director and has impacted the lives of countless youth and staff alike. He is the embodiment of passion and selflessness.
As difficult as passion may be to quantify, it is one of the most valuable attributes that you can hope for in an employee. Passionate people are enthusiastic, caring, and committed about their causes and interests. Employees who are passionate about their jobs will naturally produce high-quality results and always strive for improvement. When faced with an obstacle, they search for solutions rather than viewing it as a burden.
A selfless person, goes beyond their own concerns and emphasize with others, they are humble, they have a broader view, they truly listen to others, put themselves in others position, they say “we” instead of “I”, they celebrate success together and face failure alone, and they find genuine pleasure in helping others to see happiness.
Mike has always been genuinely passionate and truly dedicated to helping kids and families, to the success of his team, the Equine Department and the Agency’s mission. It has been an honor to know you and work with you over the last several years - the Agency and this community- will not be the same without you.”
My time at WGA has taught me a lot. Prior to working here, I had no idea what kids “in the system” have to deal with. And honestly, as much as I was moved by the tributes given to me by my peers, it’s the many messages and notes given to me by the kids that will stay with me forever.
The good news is that I can say that the WGA Equine department has never had a better crew of horsemen to take over from me! Keep up the good work!
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