[0:04] hi my name is um Tony Huddle i have been

[0:08] in the district for 34 years i love what

[0:12] I do i love being with the kids i've

[0:16] been in all the schools in the district

[0:19] i've worked um AC i started at Adventure

[0:22] Connection and um now I'm here at

[0:26] Justice Allen Page um I work during the

[0:28] school day and um I do inclusion parah

[0:33] and I love what I do i'm with

[0:36] kindergarten and first grade right now

[0:38] and I have to say that's my favorite age

[0:41] group they you see them grow so much

[0:44] especially with kindergarten you know

[0:46] kindergarten they start and when they

[0:48] come in they don't know how to stand in

[0:51] a line or how to you know um sit for a

[0:54] long period of time and and just seeing

[0:56] how much they grow and learn you know by

[0:58] the end of kindergarten they're reading

[1:00] and and just it's so when they start

[1:02] they don't even know their ABCs so

[1:04] that's the big thing um with

[1:06] kindergarten I'm invited to a a

[1:09] student's wedding um that's happening in

[1:12] a in a couple weeks so you know it's

[1:14] just seeing the change and how they grow

[1:18] um building family you know friends and

[1:22] family through you know all the years

[1:24] that I've known people i people say when

[1:27] I go anywhere I always know somebody and

[1:29] that's just being in the district and

[1:31] being part of that community it's where

[1:34] I grew up too so that makes a

[1:37] difference in the summertime work the

[1:40] summertime program for Adventure

[1:42] Connection which is also one of my

[1:44] favorite things cuz you get to do so

[1:48] many fun things that's that's the time

[1:49] you're playing with the kids and um we

[1:52] go on a field trip once a week and you

[1:54] go swimming and it's just I'm getting

[1:57] paid to do what I love so much cuz I I

[2:00] enjoy being with those kids and and the

[2:02] fun that we have when I I when I found

[2:05] out I um won the award I was extremely

[2:08] shocked um coworker Amanda came in and

[2:12] did a morning meeting and um I realized

[2:16] that it you know something was happening

[2:18] what's

[2:19] happening and then she read the letter

[2:22] and then she showed me what um Kurt had

[2:25] written um I it was emotional i I cried

[2:29] it was just such a wonderful feeling to

[2:32] be appreciated like that i was just so

[2:34] excited and happy and proud to be able

[2:36] to let her know that she was receiving

[2:39] the heart of the community award um she

[2:42] really does embody the heart of the

[2:44] community everywhere we go she knows

[2:45] somebody and I'm just so happy for my

[2:48] friend

[2:51] the first summer I worked with her I

[2:53] just I wasn't even at her site but just

[2:56] watching her with the kids my son

[2:58] actually went to her site and

[3:00] um I just I she was amazing she's

[3:03] amazing with all the kids tony Huddle is

[3:06] just an allstar of Adventure Connection

[3:08] staff she has so many years of

[3:10] experience and she brings that

[3:11] experience every day to making just a

[3:13] tremendous difference in the lives of

[3:14] the kids it is an absolute honor to have

[3:16] her on our staff uh and she is a

[3:18] tremendous example for all of the other

[3:20] staff to learn from and the work that

[3:22] they do with kids the kind words that um

[3:25] were written and said um amazes me it it

[3:30] I could cry all over again i nominated

[3:32] Tony for the heart of the community

[3:34] award uh because she embodies everything

[3:36] that Adventure Connection is supposed to

[3:37] be about she is a deeply caring staff

[3:40] person who works her hardest to have a

[3:42] positive impact on the life of the the

[3:44] kids in the program and does a

[3:46] tremendous job uh especially with some

[3:48] of our more difficult students helping

[3:49] them be successful uh in our program uh

[3:52] and preparing them for life as a whole