Au Pair: Clarisse Hildegarde Decourtye from France
Host Family: Comfort Shields-Parry Family in Connecticut
I am proud to nominate our beloved au pair, Clarisse Decourtye, for Au Pair of the Year. A few weeks after Clarisse became our au pair, she had to fly home to France for a tragic and unexpected death in her family. We were all devastated, because Clarisse had become part of our family and we had already grown to love her. We expected her to stay in France, but weeks later she wrote to let us know that her dream was still to fulfill her year as our au pair. Cultural Care Au Pair helped us to make Clarisse's dream and ours a reality, and Clarisse returned to our home. Since that time, Clarisse has been an inspiration to us all. Bearing adversity with courage, Clarisse has forged ahead with her life, despite her personal loss.
Clarisse makes our children feel loved every day, and as a mother, there is nothing more important to me or for which I am more grateful. Our children have developed in leaps and bounds this year with Clarisse's help. From our five-year-old son, Oliver, learning to read, to our three-year-old daughter, Violet's, potty training, to our baby, Malcolm learning to crawl, Clarisse has been in the forefront of our children's lives.
Clarisse makes our children feel loved every day, and as a mother, there is nothing more important to me or for which I am more grateful. Our children have developed in leaps and bounds this year with Clarisse's help. From our five-year-old son, Oliver, learning to read, to our three-year-old daughter, Violet's, potty training, to our baby, Malcolm learning to crawl, Clarisse has been in the forefront of our children's lives.