It’s All About Relationships
Calvin Spencer
Calvin spends two days a week at The Caring Place, sorting CDs and DVDs and testing the usability of luggage and electronic toys. His critical thinking, materials management and problem solving abilities, gained from his work as an engineer, make him a perfect fit. However, if you ask Calvin, it’s the opportunity to be around and learn from others that bring him the greatest joy.
As a chemical engineer, Calvin Spencer spent his time traveling around the world, managing and implementing refinery updates. Whether he was installing new equipment in Curacao and Aruba or managing processes to extract sulfur from oil in Alaska, it was the people he met on these jobs that made his work satisfying.
One of his favorite work assignments was in Lithuania. Coming from the United States, he was amazed when he learned that everyone in Lithuania was of the same ethnic group. “No one spoke English and they didn’t understand the melting pot of the United States,” he said. During his off time, Calvin would roam the city with his translator and strike up conversations with the locals. It made his job that much more fulfilling.
It’s no different for Calvin at The Caring Place. He loves conversing with customers and volunteers and he enjoys keeping track of special requests for certain CDs and DVDs. When he isn’t selecting, pricing, and sometimes fixing items to be merchandised in The Shops at The Caring Place, he takes the time to get to know the people he works with.
What else do we know about Calvin? He’s been married for 42 years, has 4 children, 14 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren! But here’s something that will surprise you: Calvin is a singer! He started in the 5th grade boys’ choir as a soprano and was hooked! More recently, he sang with the San Gabriel Chorale, and was in the church choir at Houston Lutheran for 15 years.
“When you sing in a choir, you have to follow specific vocal rules that make it all work with everyone else’s voice,” he said. One person’s voice alone is insufficient in a piece designed for harmony. Like Calvin’s time as a volunteer at The Caring Place, it’s collaborating with others that makes the experience rich and satisfying.
Sidebar: “It’s the relationships you have with people that make for a successful outfit. Without good relationships, it’s not going to work.”
