Martin Luther King, Jr. reminds
us that life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for
others? Apparently, more than you’d
think. In a world where the news is
often dominated by uncertainty and fear, the reality is there are many wonderful
people doing good in the world, quietly committed to helping others and
changing lives for the better. Research
from the National Center of Charitable Statistics shows that more than 25% of
Americans over the age of 16 volunteer (this excludes countless schoolchildren
in scouts, churches and clubs). And
financial giving is up: individuals, foundations and businesses donated an
impressive $358.38 billion in 2014, up 7% over the previous year.
A culture of giving is what
makes AMG work. Nearly 100% of staff in our five offices
throughout North Carolina and South Carolina volunteers in the
community–whether it’s running a road race to raise awareness about hunger to
supporting local charities with donation dollars. I recently returned from an
Angel Flight Soars trip to deliver a patient from Atlanta to a medical
appointment in Winston-Salem. Since 1983, Angel Flight Soars, a
non-profit that recruits pilots to fly medical missions throughout the south,
has connected more than 32,000 families to life-saving medical care: from burn
victims needing skin grafts to cancer patients traveling to special treatment
centers to hopeful recipients like Helen Lindsey awaiting
transplants. I’ve been flying for Angel
Flight since 2009 and Helen was really special.
A quadruple amputee in remission from cancer, she’s on a wait list for a
bilateral hand transplant, slated for some time in 2017 or 2018. “The Angel Flight was absolutely incredible,”
Helen said. “It’s an honorable thing to volunteer your time to transport people
like me to appointments. Frequent appointments are important and it’s wonderful
to know Angel Flight Soars is here to help.”
The impact of this volunteer
experience went beyond my short time with her. My son Matthew was a part of the
experience and was transformed by her optimism and energy. Landmark Aviation of Greensboro/Winston-Salem
and Epps Aviation of Atlanta joined in the effort by waiving fees and
discounting fuel. And even Helen caught the volunteer bug. “It was so awesome
that I’m now going for my pilot’s license,” she told me. “I can’t wait to be a
part of Angel Flight Soars and start helping people in this way.” Helen has a
great curiosity and a desire to explore. Nothing stops her. “I approach life by
the moment,” she said. “I try to have great moments, no matter what, whether
it’s having a casual dinner with family or learning to water ski and drive a
boat. I can’t stand to be non-productive. I want to feel useful.” A former
nurse and professional mediator, Helen feels volunteering is important: she
believes blessing people honors God. I
was so inspired by her enthusiasm that I reached out to MayCay Beeler, a former WFMY TV news
weather anchor and now a flight instructor and creator of The Diva Flight Experience which empowers
women through aviation, as well as other aviation professionals to see if we
can help Helen achieve her goal. On
Christmas Day, AMG’s May Gayle Mengert delivered good news to Helen: MayCay and
TAA Flight School (Triad Aviation Academy
of Greensboro) will provide a flight lesson. Sam Schoolfield, an active duty
Marine Corp officer and Certified Flight Instructor and my partner in the Haiti
orphanage missions, has volunteered a weekend of flight training experience for
her.
I’ve done a lot of volunteer
service through the years including this recent flight with Helen and I’ve
learned some good lessons along the way that can be applied not only to my life
but to my business as a professional HOA manager helping create attractive,
harmonious, successful communities. The concept of helping to repair our world
is important to me and a core value of our company.
*Helping people inspires me.
It’s satisfying to do good in
the world, it makes you feel good–and research backs that up. HelpGuide.org
reports that volunteering helps you make new friends and broaden your social
and professional network. It boosts self-confidence, satisfaction and
self-esteem; is an antidote for stress and depression; provides a sense of
purpose and vitality to life; lessens chronic heart disease and pain–even
improves your mortality rate, adding years to your life if not life to your
years! In business, inspiration is equal to creativity. We’re always looking
for new ways to provide more benefit to customers, to improve the experience,
to invent new technologies and processes that make life for our customers
easier.
*It reminds me to focus on the important things.
In life and society, focusing on
the important things means giving of yourself and helping lift up those around
you. It’s pretty much the same in business. The most important thing to focus
on? Of course, the customer: making sure customers get what they need and have a positive and satisfying
experience. The second most important
thing is the team, making sure staff get continuous training, providing a safe
environment for creative brainstorming and innovative problem-solving and, of
course, rewarding good work.
*Volunteering is a key factor to personal and corporate satisfaction.
When you enrich your personal
life with interesting volunteer work with intriguing and diverse people, you
can’t help but go back to work refreshed and excited. Ideas, connections and
ways of working you learn in the volunteer world transfer seamlessly to the
corporate world–ideas like collaboration, the higher good, purpose, compassion,
creativity and passion. I firmly believe
we’re here to make life better, easier and kinder for everyone–on the job, at
home and in our community.
*Volunteering gives me hope.
It’s said the three essentials
to happiness in life are something to do, something to love and something to
hope for. Hope is that little voice that
whispers “maybe” when the entire world is shouting “no.” Volunteering makes me
realize better things are coming. And that feels good.
For more about Lindsey’s journey
to become a pilot, visit www.gofundme.com/amputeepilot. For more about Angel Flight Soars, to
volunteer as a pilot, request a flight or make a donation, visit www.angelflightsoars.org or call
1.877.4anAngel. For more about AMG, visit www.amgworld.com.
About AMG: AMG is a professional community
association management company dedicated to building effective community
associations. AMG guides and assists executive boards to help protect the
association's interests, enhance the lives of community members and improve the
property values in the community. With offices throughout the Carolinas in
Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Charlotte and Raleigh, NC, and Greenville and Aiken,
SC, AMG is a knowledgeable partner in enforcing community governing documents
with a proven set of processes and techniques, and supporting communities with
a broad range of services which can be tailored to individual community needs.
Association Management Group, Inc. is a locally Accredited Business by the BBB
and is a nationally Accredited Association Management Company (AAMC) by the
Community Associations Institute. For more about AMG, visit www.amgworld.com.
PHOTO CUTLINE: Association
Management Group President and Angel Flight Soars volunteer pilot Paul Mengert
and his son Matthew recently flew quadruple amputee Helen Lindsey from Atlanta
to a medical appointment in Winston-Salem. Helen is on the wait list for a hand
transplant, targeted for 2017 or 2018.
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