Danos WORKS Spotlight: Ross Barker and John Able
As chairperson of Danos WORKS, I have the pleasure of receiving all the hours that our employees log throughout the year. It’s always surprising to me to see the ways my coworkers are spending their time and how they are helping their communities. Today I’d like to spotlight two of those employees and the different ways they volunteer.
Ross Barker, risk and commercial manager, logged over 50 hours last year through the Central Lafourche Baseball Association (CLBA). Ross is a great example of an employee using his time to participate in activities for his children and taking advantage of logging those hours through Danos WORKS. He spent over 10 years coaching through CLBA and also serves on the board for the organization as treasurer and as a league director.
Ross serves his time anywhere from getting the fields in order and maintaining them throughout the season, to coaching and to helping with the organization’s insurance and finances. Not only is Ross able to share his love for the game with the youth in his community, but he is teaching them the skills and knowledge they need for the game.
“My greatest accomplishment is seeing the players develop from the beginning of the season to the end and instilling in them that whether they win or lose, you do it with class,” said Ross.
Ross should also be proud of himself for not only giving his time but for also taking the time to log those hours and earn money for the organization through Danos WORKS.
Above: Ross Barker inspires young players as he coaches a game for the Central Lafourche Baseball Association.
Our second spotlight is John Able, safety manager in the Shale region, who logged over 150 hours through his work with the Lea County Sheriff’s Posse. This is an organization he has been involved with for years, but now, in addition to the time he gives, John is taking advantage of being able to log his hours through Danos WORKS to earn money for the organization.
John got involved with this organization after he retired from being a firefighter paramedic of 20 years. When he came to Danos, he had a sense that he was not done serving his community. Through the Lea County Sheriff’s Posse, he is a reserve deputy who serves as an active officer. He also functions as a SWAT medic.
“The most memorable experience thus far was a SWAT event in a neighboring county involving multiple felons with many different federal, state and local agencies,” said John. “We left in the middle of the night and were on site at daybreak. It was right out of a movie...helicopter and the works. The event went down without incident. All parties were taken into custody without issues, but it was quite the event to be a part of.”
Thank you, John, for your service to Danos and to your community in the time you give through this organization.
Above, John Able presents a check from Danos WORKS to the Lea County Sherrif Posse.
These are two examples of employees volunteering in their communities in different ways. Our Danos WORKS program is eligible to many different nonprofits including sports teams/leagues, churches and schools. If you currently have an organization you volunteer with and are unsure if it’s eligible for Danos WORKS, please contact me. We would love to see you logging those hours and getting money for those organizations that mean something to you.
If you are not currently giving your time but would like to get involved somehow, reach out to me, and I can help pair you with an organization in need. I look forward to seeing how our employees are giving their time in 2022. Thanks to all who are currently logging their hours like Ross and John!
Katie
Katie Smith
WORKS Chair