“You can’t understand someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.”
The cautionary advice to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes means before judging someone, you must understand his or her experiences and challenges. The value of the statement is that it is a good indication of the importance of empathy in living a mindful life. Being empathetic makes one more compassionate to others and learning more about another’s story is a great way to better understand ideas from another point of view.
Any intelligent discussion on humanity will, at some point, deal with the importance of truly empathizing with others to understand them completely. For PHP to better understand our members and clients, we must also understand their struggles, questions, and concerns about health benefits, health plans, and aspects of their health and personal lives that impact the quality of their lives.
One of the best ways to empathize with our clients and members is to volunteer with local community organizations. This first-hand experience with various organizations allows PHP leadership and staff the chance to have deeper, more meaningful conversations that inform us of the issues and concerns from the people we serve. And, as a local health insurance provider, we are nimble and ready to enact change and improve member experiences from the feedback we receive.
Headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana, PHP has a vested interest in our community and state - unlike larger insurance carriers. Our size and local decision-making helps us make quick and meaningful adjustments to our plans and processes in ways that benefit our members.
Below is a look at volunteer efforts of a few members of the PHP leadership team. Take a look at where there passions lie and how they give back to our community.
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Gary Shearer: President and CEO
Volunteer Organization: Visit Fort Wayne
Role: Member, Board of Directors
Gary says: “I believe in Visit Fort Wayne’s mission, which is to expand Fort Wayne’s economy by attracting convention and leisure visitors. Tourism and tourists improve area quality of life, raises the profile of our city, and attracts business decision-makers and organizations to this region – all while benefiting economic development. Each year, millions of visitor spending dollars generate increased commerce, sustain jobs, and enhance the image of Fort Wayne.”
Gail Doran: Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Volunteer Organization: Super Shot
Roles: Chairman; Executive Committee; Sustainability Campaign, steering committee member; Finance Committee, former Governance Committee, Chair; Volunteer (Clinics and “other duties as assigned”)
Gail says: “Super Shot fills so many needs in our community – we support the local physicians who find it increasingly difficult to maintain immunization services in their practice; we support the Departments of Health (DOH) by providing services when the DOH cannot, such as taking on all routine vaccines for the DOH when they had to focus 100% on the COVID pandemic; we support the local population by removing all barriers to immunizations whether the barrier is financial, convenience, time or access; we support the school systems by being their embedded partner and bringing flu shots directly to the school setting and lastly we support the local businesses by making sure that healthcare equity/access is available to all employees. Keeping our community safe from preventable, communicable disease is “worth a shot”! Super Shot has literally pulled itself out of near extinction to become a significant health partner in the community.”
Christine Boles: Director of Human Resources
Organization: Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne
Role: Member, Board of Directors; Human Resources Committee Chair
Christine says: “The Community Foundation’s passion for the betterment of our greater Fort Wayne area aligns with my desire to give back to the community I’ve called home my entire life. The Foundation’s impact to other philanthropic organizations in our area magnifies individual contributions and connects people with causes which align with their personal values. The Community Foundation will celebrate 100 years of service to our community in 2022; a testament to its deep and continued commitment to Fort Wayne and the people who call it home.”
Michelle Kearns, Marketing Communications Director
Organization: McMillen Health
Role: Member, Board of Directors; Marketing Committee Chair
Michelle says: “The mission of McMillen Health—to provide vital, effective preventive health education that promotes physical, emotional, and social well-being—aligns with PHP’s focus on preventive health services and resources for our members. With over 90 program topics, McMillen staff consult with local schools, health systems, and non-profit organizations to provide timely content to address our community’s most pressing health needs. And as they celebrate 40 years of service, they continue to adapt and grow by delivering health education in a variety of formats including in the facility, on site at a school or organization, via distance learning with multiple connections at once, and through E-Learning reaching students in their homes.”
There’s no better time to give back
For active families and busy lives, it’s difficult to find time to volunteer. However, once you’ve volunteered, you realize the enormous value volunteering can bring to your life. Volunteering in any capacity offers vital help to people in need, worthwhile causes, and your community—which is pretty obvious. But, the benefits to the volunteer can be even greater, personally. Finding an organization to volunteer can help you learn new skills, advance your career, and make new friends.
Giving to others can also help protect your mental and physical health. It can reduce stress, combat depression, keep you mentally stimulated, and provide a sense of purpose. While it’s true that the more you volunteer, the more benefits you’ll experience, volunteering doesn’t have to involve a long-term commitment or take a huge amount of time out of your busy day. Giving in even simple ways can help those in need and improve your health and happiness.
PHP leadership is making our community a better place to live, work and play. By helping out with some of the smallest tasks at multiple organizations, they are making a tangible difference in the lives of people and organizations who don’t have resources to spare.
What are your volunteering goals?
To find a volunteer position that’s right for you, look for something that matches your personality, skills, and interests. Ask yourself if there is something specific you want to do or achieve as a volunteer.
There are many locations and organizations seeking volunteer help of all kinds. Some Indiana volunteer organizations include:
