We frequently talk about going the extra mile providing service to our communities. It's an essential element of what we do and who we are. That philosophy stays with us on the job and in our off-the-job lives and even after we've left the job.
This is a story that proves the point.
nne Ballard is a Phoenix resident currently working for the Peace Corps in a rural mountaintop area of Guatemala, the village of San Francisco la Union. It's is way, way beyond rustic. She lives exactly as the people with whom she is working live – in what we would call a shack. Her bathroom is an outhouse with a sheet for a door right next to the fenced in pigs and chickens. Her community doesn't have much. The poverty is grinding by any standard. Running water is a scarcity and electricity is a hodgepodge that would frighten most of us. But the people there are thankful for Anne's help and they get by the best they can.
Recently a little girl was severely shocked by their makeshift electrical supply. Seriously injured she lay crying in agony. But there is no hospital or doctor. She suffered for four hours while people in the town gathered up enough of their meager financial resources so they could pay for her long ride to the nearest hospital. Anne told the locals she would try to find a way to make sure that never happened again.
When Anne related this story to her parents Greg and Maureen back in Phoenix they went looking for help. Enter Bob Ford. Many of you probably remember him as Bobby Ford when he was one of us. A retired Phoenix Fire Department Captain and L493 Vice President, Bobby now operates a company called Medcare Resources that provides equipment to our Brothers and Sister who fight wildfires with the National Forest Service.
Bob found a solution. He provided a modern ambulance that was out of service because wildfires require four-wheel drive emergency vehicles. Bobby outfitted the ambulance with all the modern equipment and threw in some extra tires which are always in short supply in rural Guatemala. He even emblazoned the sides with the local town's own name and medical services office. Then he shipped it to Anne.
The ship docked, off came the new life-giving ambulance and they started the 12-hour journey to the community Anne serves. When they arrived, with lights flashing and siren blaring, the townspeople gathered around in amazement. According to Anne, there was a joyous celebration. It turns out they were used to promises that were never kept in a country where corruption is too often more common than kindness. But Anne is a person of her word. And so is Bobby Ford.
Bobby says he did the easy part. We disagree. He found a perfectly functional ambulance, fully equipped it, added extra supplies including those tires and made sure it got to Guatemala – all at his own expense. No children in Anne's village will ever again have to wait hours for emergency medical service.
Thanks to Anne Ballard for her outstanding work in the Peace Corps. Thanks to her parents who got the ball rolling back here. And thanks to our own Bobby Ford who went the extra mile and provided service above and beyond to people he had never met. He has provided a gift that will keep giving to the people of little San Francisco la Union for years to come.
Bob Ford embodies the values we teach. His efforts and kindness will always be remembered in a small town in an otherwise forgotten part of remote Guatemala.