Most of you have heard me speak about the “Power of One” and how one person or one corporation can step forward and change the world. Sometimes the world that is changed is the world of another human being and sometimes the world that is changed can be as large as a nation or the world. This is a story about one person’s “World.”
In May of 2006 two units of the Arizona National Guard were activated and deployed to Afghanistan (19 months ago). Most of those activated were making much more per month as a civilian employee than they are currently making on active duty. As you can imagine this has caused many, many financial hardships for the families and many, many moments of concern by the deployed soldier wondering how his family will make it on a monthly income that has been “cut back,” sometimes dramatically. Today, I am so proud to say, there is one deployed soldier and his family who have had one worry erased thanks to the power that one individual has when they start to get their friends, family, and co-workers involved, one person at a time.
It was brought to the attention of Arizona Representative Jerry Weiers, Chair of Project “We Remember”…CHANGE and Phil Mason, House of Representatives Administrative Services Supervisor, that the family of a deployed Arizona National Guardsman was living with a refrigerator that had a broken door. There was not enough money to repair the door or buy a used or new replacement so the wife used her innovative, never give up, skills and bought a roll of duct tape to keep the door closed. This story was shared with Layla Ressler, CEO of Pick A Part, who then as a “Power of One” decided that it was not right for this wife and mother, whose husband was serving our country in a combat zone, would have to use duct tape to keep her refrigerator door closed. Layla informed her two branch managers of the problem and they, in-turn, shared the information with all 42 employees of Pick A Part. Within just a few hours all the employees of Pick A Part had donated enough money to purchase a new refrigerator for Mrs. Christina Barlowe, and within a matter of a few days a brand new refrigerator was presented to Mrs. Barlowe.
This is just one story about the wonderful, giving nature of our Arizona family and the commitment of a group of 42 employees of Pick A Part who changed the world of one family.
I hope that each of you who read this article will take a moment and send a thank you to the employees of Pick A Part for their decision to help one Arizona National Guard Family. You can email them at mypickapart@mypickapart.com.