Volunteer of the month - Leonard O.

Leonard O. is our newest Volunteer of the Month and the first volunteer from our Greeley Carry-Out Caravan program to be featured! (As most of you know, Cultivate assumed the Weld County RSVP program in Greeley in 2023. We are so fortunate that most of their volunteers stayed on through the transition.)

Born and raised in Holyoke, Colorado (way out east!), Leonard attended Northwest Technical School in Goodland, Kansas, studying Telephony (that’s long-distance voice technology to you and me).  Leonard’s successful career spanned decades as an electrical lineman for Mountain Bell, Burlington Northern Railroad, Pan-Tex Tri-State G&T, and WAPA Western Area Power Administration.  He also moved around with his career, working in Nebraska, Texas, and Montana, eventually returning to Colorado.  Wherever Leonard lived he took the time to give back to the community in which he lived by volunteering.  He found time to serve as a volunteer Fireman in two cities and also volunteered with the ELKS Club and ROTARY International.

Fearless and hardworking, Leonard climbed utility poles and radio towers as high as 300 feet tall to make repairs.  He was working at Highline Electric in eastern Colorado when the historic 1975 snowstorm hit -- taking out power in the area for almost six months. Fifteen-to-thirty-foot snow drifts will do that sort of thing! Leonard has a loving wife Peggy whom he met in high school. She was always supportive during the family's frequent relocations for his work.

Early in his career, Leonard was electrocuted -- the electrical current entered through his elbow and exited through the ball of his foot, leaving him with both external and internal burns and injuries.  After spending about six months in the hospital to recover, he still had the tenacity to climb back up those utility poles and continue with the career that almost took his life!

Now that he is retired, Leonard spends his time drinking coffee with "a bunch of old gray-haired guys,” and traveling.  He and his wife have taken seventeen cruises. They also frequently travel to Kansas to visit their three (now grown) grandchildren to watch their sporting events. He also loves fishing in Alaska to catch king salmon and halibut. 

Leonard has been a great team player in Greeley for about four years and Cultivate is so lucky to have him as a regular shopping and grocery-delivery volunteer.   Over the years, he has also volunteered with Meals On Wheels - delivering hot meals.  We salute Leonard for all he did during his career, climbing those utility poles and keeping so many people connected.  Thank you Leonard for keeping the Greeley community connected and fed with your retirement volunteering!  We love the spark you add to Cultivate, and appreciate your dedication to service with us.