Congratulations, Phil!

By -
Phil Smith at the award ceremony with Edsel Ford

I am blessed to be part of an incredible family.  The latest chapter is the honor just conveyed on my brother, Phil, by Ford Motor Company for public service. Phil was one of just four in the U.S. to receive this award. I'll let Ford explain,

Phil Smith, Executive Vice-President of Dick Smith Ford, has been chosen to receive the Ford ‘Salute to Dealers’ award based on his honorable volunteer and fund-raising efforts.

Smith is passionate about helping people who are less fortunate both locally and overseas. Here in Kansas City, he volunteers every week at the St. James Food Kitchen. For the last 6 years he has served as director of operations for the Wednesday night servings. Throughout his time, he has cared for and served more than 40,000 poor and homeless people.

Every Sunday afternoon and Monday evening Smith can be found in Kansas City’s Jackson County Jail, counseling inmates as a chaplain’s assistant.

Smith has also been leading trips to Guatemala to assist in humanitarian aid two to three times per year for the last decade. What started as a one time mission trip, turned into a philanthropic passion and international relationship. During a trip in 2005, in addition to hardships from great community needs, he learned that the men and women had to also walk 10 to 20 miles and wait in line for hours to receive dental care. If they could walk that far, Smith decided he could too.

In 2006, Smith created the Labor of Love Walk where each year, he walks 100 miles over the course of three days to raise money for Guatemalans. Over $150,000 has been raised which has provided for needs ranging from construction needs, to four water purification systems, and even an orphanage for physically and mentally challenged orphans.

These fundraising and volunteer efforts have not gone unnoticed which is why Ford is recognizing Smith with ‘Salute to Dealers’ award. Smith serves as a role model to his co-workers, family and friends and is proof that one person can truly make a world of difference.
From left, my brother Mark; his wife, Robin; Alan Mulally, Chairman, Ford Motor Company; Phil
 Congratulations, Phil!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hilary's Forecast Path Shifts West; Updated 9:20am PDT

By -
Image
The forecast path of the center of Hilary has shifted a bit to the west. This increases the threat to the Southland, especially in terms of flooding.  Rainfall Note the heavy rains are forecast for Los Angeles County. Serious flash flooding may result. Because the forecast path has shifted to the west, that increases the threat of serious flooding in Los Angeles County north into Yosemite and the southern Sierra. It lessens the threat in Utah and western Arizona. While the threat of widespread flooding in Utah and Arizona lessens, note that some thunderstorms with localized heavy rain show up on the map.  In Nevada, the more western path increases the risk of serious flooding around Mt Charleston and into the central part of the state.  Here is the updated  (9am PDT) flash flood risk map. Wind There are already about 40,000 people without power in California, mostly in the center of the state.  The maps above are the peak gusts forecasted with the storm. The highest winds, in general,
Read more

Dangerous Travel Conditions - People Reportedly Stranded

By -
Image
-- Note, more current info available. Scroll up. --- Updated Information as of 8am PDT You are risking your life if you attempt to travel through the purple area.  While the rain has not begun in coastal California, I would urge you to use this time to make any preparations. Power outages have occurred already in southeast California. Here is the latest radar as of 7:55am PDT. As of 6:40am PDT , the radar indicates moderate to heavy rain falling over desert areas of Southern California and far western Arizona (click to enlarge).  Rainfall amounts for the 24 hours ending at 7am PDT show more than two inches have already fallen. There are reports from reliable sources that roads are already washed out and that people are stranded in isolated parts of the desert.  Below is a high-resolution computer model's rainfall forecast from 5am PDT to 11pm PDT Sunday. More than a foot of additional rain is forecast to fall. This will lead to catastrophic flooding.  Here is a map of current watc
Read more

Update on Tornado and Wind Potential; 12 Noon PDT

By -
Image
There was at least one tornado and at least one funnel cloud yesterday.  --- original forecast --- Hilary (the swirly symbol) continues to move NNW paralleling the coast of Baja California, Mexico. The area outlined in red has a significant risk of tornadoe s the rest of the afternoon.  Below is a list of peak wind gusts so far.  Peak winds may increase farther north as the afternoon progresses.  Addition at 12 noon PDT: Sure enough, winds have increased.  Note: If you are in the San Diego area, I recommend not  traveling east on I-8. Heavy rains may cause flash flooding that will involve the highway. 
Read more