WINNING SPIRIT IN ACTION: TOTAL CARE AUTO-POWERED BY LANDCAR ' S RANDY BAKER
A HERO AT WORK AND ON THE WATER
WINNING SPIRIT IN ACTION: TOTAL CARE AUTO-POWERED BY LANDCAR ' S RANDY BAKER
Heroes on the Water helps our Nation’ s warriors and veterans from all branches of the United States military unwind using the therapeutic qualities of fishing from kayaks. What looks like a day trip of paddling and fishing is in fact something much deeper and longlasting.
Be a student. Be a teacher. Be a leader— This is one of our company’ s guiding principles and one exemplified in the dedication and service of Randy Baker. Randy has been with the LHM Group for 19 years and currently works with Total Care Auto. His coworkers credit him with being a great student and teacher at work
Randy Baker while also giving back to his community.
Six months ago, Randy became involved with Heroes on the Water( HOW), a non-profit charitable organization that helps rehabilitate and reintegrate disabled active duty personnel and veterans through the therapeutic qualities of fishing and kayaking.
Randy was first inspired to become a part of HOW when his son returned from Afghanistan after 12 months of service. His son started kayak fishing with a friend, Chad, who he met on Facebook. Randy noticed almost immediately the positive impact the kayak fishing was having on his son’ s ability to deal with his mental stress and trauma. Chad and Randy decided to start a Heroes on the Water Chapter in Utah to help instill self-reliance and hope for local veterans. Randy and the HOW organization know not all battle scars are physical and that this program has been proven to help vets overcome their PTSD.
These activities are closely coordinated with military and hospital staff, and all services are provided to the veterans at no cost.
Randy has seen firsthand how kayak fishing helps vets:“ It gets them outdoors and allows them to have a day to unwind, relax and forget their troubles. The vets are able to talk to one another when they won’ t talk to anyone else. It is a very healing experience for them.” The kayak fishing also gives them the opportunity to spend some quality time with their families.
When asked about his most memorable experience with HOW, Randy shared this story:
“ A young man and his father were fishing at Bountiful Pond where we were holding one of our HOW activities. The father walked over and started asking about all the kayaks we had on the bank. After I had told him a little bit about HOW, the father explained how his son was having trouble coping with some similar issues. My son went over and talked the young man into getting into one of the kayaks, and my son spent a couple of hours out on the pond fishing and talking with him. The father was so excited to see his boy enjoying himself for a change.”
Randy knows how much these men and women have sacrificed for their country, and he feels giving up his vacation and personal time to help them on their road to recovery is a small price to pay. To learn more about Heroes on the Water, visit Howutah. org and heroesonthewater. org. WS
The Heroes on the Water Northern Utah Chapter’ s first event was held on March 26, 2015. The organization helps veterans and their families unite through kayaks and fishing.
Story submitted by Robb Enger and Sydni Spencer with TCA.
Do you know an employee or have a story which exemplifies the LHM Winning Spirit? Tell us about it at WinningSpirit @ lhm. com.