Turbo Leadership Systems^™

Pride comes from service

Steve, Senior Project Manager for a local mechanical contracting company, told Session 4 of Turbo’s Leadership Development Lab (LDL):

“In the summer of 1981 I was in my second year of a four year Pipe Fitting Apprenticeship with Local Union #695 Plumbers and Pipefitters of Longview/Kelso, Washington. Due to the flailing economy, work in our local jurisdiction had come to a screeching halt. Most of the Journeyman in our local had taken out ‘Travel Cards’ and were being dispatched to projects across the Northwest. As apprentices, we were not eligible to travel. We continued to attend our apprenticeship classes at night and spent our days doing odd jobs to pay the bills. We stopped in at the union hall in hopes that a call would come in from a small local project needing apprentices.

“One morning at breakfast I came across a newspaper article about a non-profit organization called Community Home Health and Hospice that provided comfort care for patients diagnosed with terminal illnesses. The organization was planning to build a facility in Longview and was reaching out to the community in search of volunteers with construction experience.

“A few of the other apprentices and I talked about it. We approached one of our instructors, a licensed plumber, to see if he would lead us in a volunteer effort to perform the plumbing scope for the project. Over the course of the next four to five weeks we worked 40 hours a week and successfully completed the project, passing all of the system testing and required inspections. In the fall of 1981, Longview’s Community Home Health and Hospice Center opened its doors and began accepting patients.

“I gained an overwhelming sense of pride in knowing that I could use the skills in my chosen profession to help others. The greatest sense of achievement came 7 years later in 1988. The L ongview Hospice facility completed a small expansion project and invited community volunteers to help

plant flowers in preparation for an open house event. My wife and I decided to take our two sons, ages five and four. We spent the day digging and planting in the garden areas surrounding the facility. It was an amazing feeling to show our children the facility I had helped build and instill in them the importance of helping others by giving back to our community.

“As our three sons continued to grow, we kept alert for opportunities in our community to help out - building homes for Habitat for Humanity, delivering meals for Meals on Wheels, and collecting and distributing canned foods for CAP. The most rewarding thing for me is seeing our adult children continuing this involvement in their communities. I know when they have children, they will pass on the great experiences and opportunities of giving back to them. “The action I call you to take is to seek out opportunities to be an example of generous giving back in your communities. Include your whole family. The benefit you will gain is a sense of accomplishment from creating future generations who enjoy the blessing of generous giving.”

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