“DEAR FAL TEAM,
I am writing as I cannot go by without expressing our great gratitude for the way the whole colony team have embraced, understood, supported and so compassionately cared for our daughter during the latest Multiactivities colony at Marienthal held from 20 to 31 July 2020.
A huge thank you to Muniba and Lexy for the fantastic work at coordinating the whole colony and communicating with the parents, we could not ask for a better team to care for our daughter. They have shown their very high standards of professionalism and humanity from the very first contact we had with them at the main door as we came in, for the warmth way they have greeted us and my daughter, then the attention they have given us to put my daughter at ease as she was nervous and it continued throughout the colony days when we communicated over the phone until the day when we came to pick my daughter up. Honestly, words cannot describe the gratitude we have for them both.
Another very important person and absolutely crucial to the success of my daughter's participation at the colony was Mana, her dedicated 1:1. Just like Muniba and Lexy, Mana was very kind and supportive from the very begging. She took great care to listen, ask questions and making sure she understood the essence of my daughter and how she could better support her from the first contact we had with her. Mana's personality and professionalism put us, parents, on easy as we realised our daughter would be well looked after by her as she took great interest in our daughter from the beginning. We have also noticed the great initial coordination Mana was making with Muniba and Lexy and how they respected and complemented each other around my daughter's needs and we knew that they would form a great team in supporting my daughter. Their understanding of autism in general and my daughter's particular type of autism (girls high-functioning autism) was clear for us to see.
We had a look around and saw how great of a spirit all the other carers at the camp had and it was wonderful. We did not met each personalty but my daughter has spoken wonders about all of them. My daughter calls all of the carers "my best friends" now, this does not happen often, and for this we would like to send a BIG THANK YOU for each and every one of the staff working at the camp that somehow have managed to make our daughter's last week of July 2020, her very first colony, a magic week with lots of unforgettable memories, role-modelling examples of character, kindness and positive ways of living, new experiences that she never had before or was afraid to try before and was able to do them this time with your support - you are heroes to us and we love you!
A big thank you to the team in the office for the pre-colony support, in particular you Catherine, always on hand to provide information and help with all that was needed.
To be honest, I was nervous about bringing my daughter to the colony. It was to be her first colony, first time she would be spending a week without me, with new people, at a new place, my daughter being so attached to me and considering her needs that can affect her safety and wellbeing...
But you guys have supported us parents as well to gradually feel at ease and I am so glad now that with your support our daughter had this experience. Nothing can pay for the happy smile I saw on our daughter's face when I came to pick her up, and her enthusiasm in the car all the way home while she was telling me all about all the amazing experiences she had with you, even the music had to be completely turn down as I was amazed at her positive spirit and I wanted to just enjoy that moment of seeing her so happy :)! The whole team shoud be very proud of yourselves, you have done a truly great job, thank you!
Now..., my daughter is absolutely sure that she wants to come again next year, and for the other colony in November, so I suppose we have to say Thank You Very Much from the bottom of our hearts, once again, and See You Soon!
Gisele”
#FAL #ËMMERDO #Luxembourg #thankful #holidaytime