My name is Margaret Hines, and I am very honored to receive the Christopher Smith Foundation Caregiver Award for the month of October. I have been a caregiver for three years and truly love my job. For 22 years I was a teacher’s aide, and this job is even more rewarding than being in the classroom. Within weeks of having the job, I fell in love with the four participants that I oversee at Betty’s Village. Right before getting the job, my only daughter died unexpectantly and I was struggling to get through my grief. Meeting Johnny, Lia, Ryan, and Blake filled a void in my life. I fell in love with them, and they truly love me. In fact, everyday one of us will say, “I love you.” And one of us will reply, “I love you more.” I feel like all of them are my children. Lia even says, “You feel like a mother to me.”

I am supposed to only work 5 days a week, but on my days off, I am constantly calling to see if they are all doing okay. Whenever offered, I take extra shifts to be with them more. They truly make me happy, and I make them happy. They appreciate everything I do. It is great to work with people who wake up smiling every single day. They all have great manners and truly care about everyone. Our house is like a family.