大鱼、大牌、大金钱和大心
Thermo King地区服务经理Gary Thompson是一位专业鲈鱼钓鱼者，他通过大额筹款。
我们在Thermo King经常谈论 “使命 ”。对于 第9区服务经理加里·汤普森来说，使命感是利用人才和人脉回馈他人——而他正在以一种大力的方式去做这件事。
作为一名职业鲈鱼钓鱼者，加里利用他在寻找大鱼方面的专业知识为慈善机构筹集资金——过去7年共筹集了130万美元。
虽然加里正在减少每年3-4场的职业鲈鱼钓鱼比赛，但他希望借助赞助商的支持和多年来建立的众多人脉，继续开展慈善工作。其中包括为郊狼队举办的3场活动，2场青少年成就赛，3场为爱丽丝·库珀举办的活动，以及为职业冰球运动员及其子女举办的约5场钓鱼之旅——所有收益均捐赠给慈善机构。
“这真的非常有成就感，而且我既能做自己热爱的运动，又能激励他人享受户外和钓鱼，”加里说，他9岁时由邻居介绍钓鱼。“这是一项任何人都能享受的运动，我很幸运能与他人分享乐趣，同时也能带来改变。”
如果你想知道，加里有机会时也会去钓鱼，纯粹是为了乐趣。他喜欢带着妻子、三个成年女儿和孙辈，只要有条件。他最大的孙子已经开始问什么时候能开始钓鱼，好像爷爷一样。听起来加里在远近都给人留下了深刻印象。
“我们很自豪他加入了Thermo King团队，在这里，彼此扶持和促进社区是我们使命的关键部分，”Thermo King西部地区主任 Steve Bach说。
Partnering with the Arizona Coyotes, Gary has supported the Coyote Alumni Association’s Charity Golf Tournament auctioning off a Pro-Bass Fishing trip each year that has benefited groups like the Arizona Disabled Sled Hockey Team, the Gordie Howe Alzheimer’s Charity Fund, the Phoenix & Greater Area Minor Hockey Associations, the Katchinas Girls Hockey Program, various educational scholarships, and more.
Impressive as that sounds, it is a drop in the bucket compared to Gary’s contributions through the years. Gary’s time on the bass fisherman circuit coupled with corporate sponsorships like Mercury Marine and Triton Boats, along with organizational partnerships like the Coyotes, United Food Bank, Alice Cooper Solid Rock Teen Centers, Kurt Warner First Things First Charity, and Mesa United Food Bank, have given him many charitable fundraising opportunities and the ability to make some big-name acquaintances.
Some of those big names include the above-mentioned football hall of famer Kurt Warner and Rock ‘n Roll celebrity Alice Cooper, along with Canadian professional hockey player Shane Doan, Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon, and Washington Redskins quarterback Mark Rypen. And those relationships have spurred even more charitable giving opportunities.
“I became a professional bass fisherman in 1985 because I loved fishing,” explained Gary. “I ended up with some sponsors quickly and did pretty well. It’s been an opportunity to fish all over the world, meet great people and get involved with some amazing charity work that allowed me to donate trips to benefit others. It really took off when I partnered with the Coyotes.”
The organization holds various fundraising events that attract VIPs from all over the country, many of whom are influential business executives, athletes, and celebrities. Gary’s professional bass boat is typically displayed front and center, and it is not unusual for his donated fishing trips to go as high as $5K.
“I met Alice Cooper at one of the events and now participate in some of the great work he does as well, which includes supporting a 30,000-square foot Teen Center with recording studio and graffiti artist lessons to give kids a safe place to gather,” said Gary. “And the charities Kurt Warner supports are equally amazing and include ‘First Things First’ out of St. Louis, Mo., an organization that helps young single mothers.”
关于加里的趣闻：
- Gary自2018年起担任第9区服务经理，但这是他第二次在Thermo King任职;1986年至1999年，他担任Thermo King和Cummins Southwest的服务经理/运营经理。
- 加里曾在世界各地捕鱼，并保持着加拿大爱德华王子区最大金枪鱼的捕获纪录。金枪鱼的重量为735#，拖着船只10英里，上岸花了4个小时。
- 加里为钓鱼之旅筹得的最高赌注是5500美元，加上当天钓鱼的人们之间另外打了400美元赌注——全部捐给了亚利桑那郊狼队的慈善机构。“这些旅行的目的就是筹款、玩乐、创造回忆和友谊、钓鱼，通常还有钓鱼者之间一些善意的起哄，”加里说。
