Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/105709
to beat him at his own game. By then, the bond between the kids and this old white man had been made. He could talk to them on their level. And the relationships strengthened his desire to be useful. "The kids take a while to trust you," he said. "They can see through you if you're putting on a front. After a while, though, they would wait for me, excited to have a male figure in their lives." The big trip Last year, the educational program run by Gané Bourgeois included a field trip to Washington, D.C. She had the plans, but needed help getting the money for the program. "Gané is a vivacious, exciting woman," Holtzinger said. He wanted to help make sure the trip happened, and that meant organizing a fundraiser. This time it wouldn't be his foosball expertise that would save him. "I had sold light bulbs door to door in college. It was the worst job," he said, shaking his head at the memory. But, he figured he could set up a better fundraiser and do it in a way that it would also be educational. So, he prepared a business plan similar to those he had taught to students in Junior Achievement (another one of his volunteer efforts at Madison House). He selected a CEO and support staff from Madison House students, chose gift boxes of apples as the product, and went to work. The group bought their apples and boxes wholesale, assembled them, then set out to make sales. Holtzinger said that though he could have had the apples donated, having the kids learn about business practices was too important to the effort. "We sold them at church," he said. And the kids learned that even people at church weren't always willing buyers. "We made some money, but not a lot," he said. This year, he's already putting together a second attempt at selling the gift boxes, with the hope that it will fund a trip to Florida for the students. "This year, we have a presentation box that slides into a sleeve. It's a great product," he said. "We're going to try to get it out earlier [for Christmas sales]. "One of the things I most appreciate about these kids is their willingness to work hard. Some are legal, but most are undocumented. They use their siblings [who have papers] to get them a job. They do what they have to do to survive. You hear this on television, but to hear it from the kids is different," he said. TIME FOR A LITTLE PAYBACK Growing leaders He hopes that the skills he teaches them will help shape their lives and that having the opportunity to travel and see other parts of the country will show them how many opportunities are out there. It's not easy. At times, the kids don't acknowledge him, don't say hello, don't say thank you. They're like any teenager, said Holtzinger. They don't really know how they should act. But they also are smart and fun and worth the effort, he thinks. He said he has to do some "ass chewing," but if he keeps his expectations high, the kids will rise up to those expectations. If nothing else, these kids have perseverance, he said. "Without wanting to sound too gushy," said Mark, "it's the love from the kids. To be able to exchange love with the kids is really cool. The feedback playing foosball, playing Ping-Pong, seeing them fly out to leave southeast Yakima for the first time, that's really cool." When he looks at them, he said he thinks, "You guys are going to be taking care of me, and I want you to be fully equipped to do it. "We need leaders, and we need to grow our own. That is the self-serving part of this equation," Holtzinger explained, referring to the fruit industry's investment in Madison House. "So many of these kids want to see beyond the field, but there's so much technology in the field." If Mark and the others behind Journey of Hope are successful, these children of the field won't have to leave to build successful lives for themselves, their own families, and the communities where they live. The opportunities are all around them. • This just might be the best example of "what goes around comes around" you'll ever see. Northwest Farm Credit Services is a cooperative, which means you have a voice within the organization and we pay cash back to you. No bank does this. When we do well, we share profits with you, not third party investors. Soon Northwest FCS customer-owners will receive patronage checks in the mail. Getting a little payback never felt so good. northwestfcs.com | 800.743.2125 Antonio Ramirez completes a sale of apples at a Rotary meeting as Mark Holtzinger looks on. www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER FEBRUARY 1, 2013 13