The Arc Angels

Several years ago, Iris Arc Crystal, a company I co-founded with Francesca Patruno, experienced a lull in business. We had recently hired several new employees and hoped that the slowdown was only temporary. However, in the meantime we had work enough for only four days of the week. So, instead of letting 20 percent of our work force go or sending them home one day per week, we decided that we would keep everyone on the payroll for the entire week. Working form Monday through Thursday, and taking Fridays to do service projects in our hometown of Santa Barbara.

I remembered phoning several services agencies to find out what was needed in the community. We divided up into three groups and showed up where agencies said they most needed us. The first week, the group I was involved with went to a very old Ukrainian gentleman's home to do a total cleanup of his house and garden. When we arrived, an elderly woman greeted us at door. We thought she was the wife, but she turned out she was the daughter. She was 75, and her father 97! She told us what we need to do, and we proceeded to clean the house from the floor to ceiling and clean up the yard as well. It is amazing how much work a group can get done when everyone is working together and being of service to someone who really needs the help. That gentleman's house went from dirt and dinginess to a sparking clean palace by the time we finished at the end of day.

The thing I most remember about that day, however, was not the great cleaning job that we did, but something altogether different. When we first walked into the house. I noticed the wonderful pen-and-ink drawings that adorned the walls and all the rooms of the house. I asked the daughter who had done them. She said that her father had, and that he hadn't taken up art until he was 80 years old. I was dumbfounded: these drawings were works of art that could have easily been hanging in a museum. At the time, I was in my early 30s and wanted to do something that would utilize my creative and artistic capabilities more than being president of a giftware company would allow. I been feeling that were too difficult to make a change at this advanced stage of my life. Boy! Did my limited belief system get expanded that afternoon!

We continued to do service project around town for server more weeks, including completely painting someone's home and setting up a large bleacher for a horseback riding academic for physically challenged children. We had a lot of fun and a lot of good. We ended up with the nickname The arc Angels. In addition to the good feeling that came from helping out of others. The good feelings were shared as employees of a company that cared for both its employees and the community went a long way to a creating a work atmosphere that was a joy to be part of.