June 2022 Volunteer of the Month: Steve K.

We are so excited to introduce our latest Volunteer of the Month, Steve K.  Steve has been a dedicated and loyal volunteer with Cultivate for over two years.  Not only has he been a dependable shopper and driver for our Carry-Out Caravan, but he has also done a great job at promoting Cultivate and recruiting new volunteers for us!

 Steve grew up in a military family so they moved a lot when he was younger. He spent most of his time in San Diego. It was a much smaller area back then and had a lot of open space which was perfect for building BMX tracks & riding bikes, hiking, hunting, sailing & fishing in the bay.  He says that growing up in those days was all about being outside.  As a child, he didn't really didn’t have a future plan other than being a kid and having fun.  When he was about eight years old he got his first morning paper route which he did though elementary school and junior high.  To this day, he still rises early most days out of habit.  After serving in the Army for a few years, Steve got into computers and went to school to learn how to fix them because they were becoming more common.  The timing turned out well.  His first job in the industry was great and he learned a lot about business. Eventually, Steve ended up managing a few offices and starting a national support line for the company. 

 Steve is a passionate family man and loves seeing his family together and happy.  The proudest moments for Steve have been the births of his children. He says it was an amazing blessing to see and that he could not be more proud of his kids. His children inspire him and he loves seeing them grow into responsible adults. Recently, his greatest challenge is to maintain his health; recovery from injuries are not as easy as they used to be!

 His hobbies include biking in the summer and skiing in the winter.  Steve really enjoys the solitude of the ride or the run. It is his therapy and likes to challenge himself each time to shave a little time, cut a smoother turn or jump off a steeper pitch.  A perfect day for Steve would be sipping an espresso in the morning, an hour at the gym, going for a bike ride and then maybe a picnic up in the mountains with his lovely wife, followed by dinner on the deck at home.  

 Steve says they love to travel and would like to do more of it in the future now that the world has opened up again.  As far as leaving a legacy, he hopes he is remembered for his love of his family and the community he created and helped serve.  The advice he would like to give people of a generation other than his own is to listen before you speak. Truly listening to others experiences with curiosity instead of judgment. 

 Steve's mom made a significant impact on his life. He says that she is an amazing person; worked as an intensive care nurse for 50 years and taught him compassion and empathy. Volunteering is something Steve's parents instilled in him when growing up. He was taught that you have to be a part of your community to make it better.  Steve has served on the boards of charitable organizations, raised funds doing century rides, served as a City Planning Commissioner, City Councilman & Mayor Pro-Team, and now Cultivate.  He used to chair Lafayette’s Senior Advisory board, with the intent to help get more services for seniors in Lafayettem but didn't get the traction he wanted in that role, so he came to Cultivate to see if they could help. When Steve started at Cultivate we were not yet including Lafayette for Carry-Out Caravan so he offered to take that route to deliver groceries. Steve is such an amazing, dependable and caring volunteer for Cultivate because of the values he was taught. He has made some real connections with many of our clients and he knows the help Cultivate provides allows many of them to remain living independently.

 We thank Steve for his service to our country and his dedication to Cultivate. Thank you for being the regular face each week that delivers and unloads our clients' groceries in Lafayette and, now, Louisville, as he offered to take on more clients when we put out the call for help in that area.  Steve, we hope you know how much we appreciate you and the connections you have fostered with our clients over the past two years.  You are a stellar volunteer and we are so very lucky to have you on our team!