Verbatim: What Do You Love to Do to Help Others?

This month’s question was chosen with the holiday season in mind. Clearly our colleagues do not limit their generosity to the holidays but have incorporated doing things to help others into their daily lives year-round. 

In this column, adopted from the familiar “Heard on the Street” format, we offer our responders a chance to answer the question posed in the title. These are their replies, reported verbatim. 

P.S. There is a change coming to this column. Please read the closing remarks. 

Giving & Helping Others From The Heart 

Helping others has always been something I love to do. Growing up in a large Boston Irish Catholic family, we all helped each other. Also, as the oldest child, it is your responsibility. There are many things I do enjoy when helping others. However, my biggest joy is helping my family. Providing advice and leadership from my life experiences is very rewarding. Supporting my friends and family emotionally and physically during troubled times is very important. I also enjoy mentoring and training young people in our industry. Sharing my personal work experiences, good and bad, can be helpful to them to see how much our industry has developed. I am encouraged and excited to see so many talented young people keeping the industry strong. In general, helping others is the right thing to do! 

Ed Varney 
Topline Management 
McKinney, Texas 

If I had to pick one thing I love doing for others, it is to make people feel comfortable. That’s especially true for people I meet for the first time. I can be pretty reserved and shy when I meet people, but I try to at least make them feel comfortable and put people at ease. It’s certainly not a grand gesture by any means, and I’m unsure how successful I am at it. I believe any effort to make people feel comfortable, however, goes a long way to having healthy relationships. I think comfort goes hand in hand with psychological safety. 

Don Montroy 
Bergquist Inc. 
Rockford, Michigan 

Some of the ways I show love to my family are by spending time with them and celebrating special moments together. I love gathering with my family and extended family for birthdays and other special occasions. I especially enjoy taking my family on vacations, teaching them new skills and cooking them home-cooked meals — though definitely not meatloaf (I learned my lesson!). I also try to offer advice when I can. I’m not always sure if I get it right, but it always comes from my heart. Most of all, I pray for my family and commit them to God, who sees and knows all. His care for us is greater than my own. 

Julie Johnson 
Ted Johnson Propane 
Baldwin Park, California 

I first asked my kids this question to get their perspective of me. My kids said that I love to help and, well, sometimes annoy them. I do agree with them! Isn’t that the parent’s job, to annoy their children? They also hit the nail on the head that I do really enjoy helping others. I love to lend a listening ear or help solve a problem. A friend of mind once reminded me that ‘we all have our stuff.’ At any given moment, we’re all experiencing the roller coaster of life’s highs and lows. In those moments, if all it takes is a little extra empathy — I’m your gal! 

Abby Thurston 
Rural Computer Consultants 
Bird Island, Minnesota 

At Work & in the Community 

This was a hard question to answer. I try to help others wherever I can, but some of the jobs I don’t ‘love.’ I live in an area with a high percentage of retirees, so what they ‘love’ me to help with is slugging bags of mulch around, shoveling driveways, moving furniture, baking treats for the church and other assorted odd jobs. I’m happy to be of assistance to others; I don’t know that I actually love all the tasks, LOL. 

Leslie Woodward 
Fairview Fittings 
Oakville, Ontario, Canada 

I love making life a little easier for others. At home, I’m the planner who keeps things running smoothly. At work, I focus on solving problems so people can focus on what’s important. Life can be stressful for everyone and easing some of that stress is my small way of showing care and kindness. 

Staci Rammel 
Woodruff Energy 
Bridgeton, New Jersey 

Doing things for or supporting others can include family and friends, coworkers, neighbors or even your local community. For me, personally, I like to give back to my community in a variety of ways. I receive personal satisfaction knowing that I have made a contribution and/or participated in groups, events or activities for the benefit of others in our community. Volunteering time to coaching, mentorship, joining a committee, fundraising for a worthy cause, volunteering at a community garden or farm, cleaning up parks and trails, building playgrounds or athletic fields, participating in a charity walk or event and supporting various local organizations are a few examples. One of the benefits of volunteering is that all my grown children are doing similar things in their local communities, which makes me smile. It’s better to give than receive! 

Jerry Schimmel 
P3 Propane Safety 
Cumberland, Rhode Island 

I am part of a group that works with a nonprofit called Project Homes here in the Richmond area. Our group does house repairs, such as deck replacements, handrails for the elderly and other small house repairs for those who qualify based on income. Many of these clients have been living with these [challenges] possibly for years. When we provide a fix to their problem, it can be even more gratifying to us than to them, I believe. I think this translates to my position in sales in providing solutions for customer needs. You know what they say: ‘When you find a job that fits your skill set, you won’t work another day in your life.’ Just living the dream! 

Tom Krupa 
NGL Supply Terminals Co. 
Richmond, Virginia 

First thing that comes to mind is from the business side. That is when I explain things, so the person really understands and is interested in that information. Let’s face it: A lot of people really do not understand what we all do with our profession. It gives me pride when people acknowledge and understand what was explained to them. 

Richard Strycharz Jr. 
Walter’s Propane 
Sunderland, Massachusetts 

Gifts of Food & Hospitality 

I was raised in the restaurant and hospitality business. Beyond inviting people into our home (it was a duplex; our house was on one side and the restaurant on the other side) to dine with us each evening, my mother loved to entertain family and friends. Our home was always an open and welcoming place for cousins who would come to Vermont to ski or aunts and uncles coming to visit family. While my brother was blessed with the culinary talent, I got the hospitality bug. I have always lived in a home with enough bedrooms for family and friends. I’ve been very blessed in my lifetime and I’m a firm believer in ‘to whom much is given much is required.’ God has blessed me with enough to share, and it’s one of the things that has always made my heart happy. Whether it’s picking up a dinner tab or having company for the weekend, I love an opportunity to be a blessing to others.  

Judy Taranovich 
Proctor Gas Inc. 
Proctor, Vermont 

Cook! My sister and I always joke that my love language is feeding people. Technically, it’s acts of service — but for me, that usually means food. I love to cook, to create delicious meals and to share them with others. 

Lauren Clark 
Bergquist Inc. 
Toledo, Ohio 

What do I love to do for others? Cook!! Sunday dinners and holidays for family and friends. For 16 years, all the grandkids came to our house every morning for breakfast, and then their Poppy took them to school. Feeding people is just another way of showing love. If you cook it, they will come! 

Paula Moore 
Blackburn Propane Service Inc. 
Durant, Oklahoma 

One thing I love to do for others is to pay for the meal when we are out eating together. It’s a gesture I’ve seen many times from my parents when they invite friends and family out for meals, and it’s a habit I have learned to pick up — and I do get a joy out of doing it. 

Sam Fung 
Emerson Automation Solutions 
McKinney, Texas 

Gratitude & A Personal Note 

For nearly six years, I’ve enjoyed selecting all types of questions for our colleagues to answer from their personal perspectives. It has been my joy to compile their thoughtful and often clever responses for you, our loyal reader. Thank you for turning to the “Verbatim” pages each month. 

Beginning next month, my colleague, Whitney Parsley, will author this column. She will do an exceptional job and keep the column lively (read about Whitney in the editor’s letter on page 2). I’m looking forward to retirement at the end of the month and am thrilled to know that Whitney will carry “Verbatim” forward with her positive personality and keen mind.