Two years ago this morning we received the devastating news that long time TLC employee, Bill W., had passed away.

Bill was at TLC from 1992 until his passing in 2009. When he came to TLC Bill was like many of our new clients. He had few job skills, no money, but did have a burning desire to change his life.

He started volunteering around the program, working mostly in the office, learning about computer systems. Before long he was helping out with minor accounting chores. As time went on he became more knowledgeable than his teachers. He soon was in charge of the accounting department. Bill did that job for many years and created many procedures that remain in place today.

Bill's story is like that of many of our clients. When he came to the program he had virtually nothing. At the time of his passing he had a new Mustang. He was buying his own home. But more important than the material improvements in his life, he’d developed a circle of close friends. Even more significantly, he’d reunited with his family and enjoyed spending time with them.

The other day one of our longtime staff members, who'd known Bill since he arrived at the program, walked into the accounting office and said, "I sure miss my friend Bill."

We all share that sentiment.