One of the greatest gifts we can be given at Hutton is having an alumni coming back to work with us. The children we serve are a part of our large family and to have them desire to become an employee brings a great amount of joy. We decided to highlight two of our more recent alumni and had them share their experiences. Emanuel is a new houseparent and Linda is soon going to begin training to become a houseparent.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR BEST MEMORIES FROM YOUR TIME LIVING AT HUTTON?

Emanuel: All of the opportunities I was given to travel. I got to to to Mexico my senior year with the Campus Director David, his wife, Tamara, my brother and a fellow Hutton resident. We went there to work with a ministry and help build a house. Seeing what it’s like outside of the U.S. was amazing, and being able to share that with David and Tamara (and the others) made it even more so. I was also a part of the SALUTE club and we got to go to Washington D.C., which was really neat. One of my other favorite memories was my first Christmas at Hutton. I was not expecting much out of Christmas and they filled the decorated dining table with food and treats and gave us presents. It was a really neat experience.

Linda: My first weekend visiting Hutton was definitely memorable. I was just trying to figure out how it all worked. One of my favorite memories was my first Christmas, as well. I wasn’t really used to getting a lot of gifts, so it was neat to get presents. I also really enjoyed my graduation and prom season.One of my best memories however, is just seeing how much everyone cared about me after only living there a short time. It was kind of amazing.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO COME BACK AND WORK AT HUTTON?

Emanuel: I had known since high school that my dream was to come back and be a houseparent. I didn’t think it’d happen so soon out of college, though. I figured maybe after I had kids and had been married a while, but a position opened up shortly after I graduated from EWU, so I took it. Being in SALUTE taught me to give back and support the community. I wanted to show my appreciation first by graduating college and doing well in school, and then by becoming a houseparent.

Linda: I decided to start training because I knew I was a little young to become a houseparent, but knew that I wanted to eventually. Training will offer me a lot of guidance for when I become a houseparent. I want to make a difference. Since I was only at Hutton a year, and had experience (prior to coming here) being on my own and taking care of myself, I feel like I have a lot to offer kids. I have real life experience in the real world at a young age and can help guide them through graduating and being out on their own.

WHAT’S ONE THING ABOUT HUTTON YOU THINK THE PUBLIC SHOULD KNOW ABOUT, THAT MAKES US UNIQUE?

Emanuel: I think SALUTE is amazing. They give so much back to the community and teach the kids the importance of doing so. I got a lot out of being a member of that club and I think it’s great.

Linda: How they help the alumni so much after they graduate. We are still family to them and them reach out to us and have get-togethers often. We aren’t just phased out when we turn 18. We always have a home to come back to.