Servant leadership is a core part of our mantra here at Consumers. Lynne catches up with Jim Mckee, who speaks about his experiences volunteering across his 15-year career at Consumers with charities such as the MS Walk, Relay For Life and more.

 

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0:00:06.4 Lynne Jarman-Johnson: Money, I’m Home. Welcome in, I’m Lynne Jarman-Johnson with Consumers Credit Union. From finance to fitness, we have it all. And we also have a lot of fun and a lot of care. And today, we celebrate our 250th podcast with you. So first, let me say thank you. We are so grateful for all of those who are listening, honestly, all around the world. It’s just incredible. And you know what? We really decided to think inward about how do we want to celebrate our 250th podcast? I am so honored to introduce to you today, Jim McKee. Jim has been with Consumers Credit Union for 15 years, and he is truly one of the most remarkable men and one of the most remarkable colleagues I’ve ever gotten to work with in my entire career. Jim, I have to tell you, I am so excited that you are on the podcast couch today.

0:01:01.5 Jim McKee: Thanks for having me today. I’m really happy to be here.

0:01:04.3 LJJ: You are one of the most humble people that I know. And yet you have volunteered in, I want to say almost, if not all, of our volunteer opportunities here at Consumers Credit Union. From walking to bike riding, to running, to cheering, to telling people, ‘Hey, join in our charitable causes.’ Tell us why do you do this?

0:01:30.7 JM: Because I was raised to help other people. And from a young age, once that happens, then it’s built into your psyche. So, it’s a part of me I cannot detach from.

0:01:42.6 LJJ: Tell me a little bit about your upbringing. It sounds to me like people in your life said to you, ‘Hey, it’s important to do good.’

0:01:51.0 JM: I became the man of the family at 10 years old. So, my mother instilled in me a responsibility of helping not just my family, but others around me … as in neighbors who are seniors that couldn’t do things for themselves.

0:02:06.7 LJJ: And you do this with such care and passion. Here at Consumers Credit Union, Jim truly is known as the volunteer of every moment, every hour. We could say the volunteer of the year, but it’s much deeper than that. What’s your favorite part about volunteering?

0:02:24.5 JM: The satisfaction of helping somebody, even though there’s not anything tangible in that. It’s just a feeling that you’ve done something right.

0:02:35.1 LJJ: I know that … Your humbleness is coming out, but to be honest with you, Jim, I really have never worked with somebody who is as dedicated and as caring. Tell us about servant leadership, especially here with the Consumers, that’s part of our mantra.

0:02:49.7 JM: Us to enjoy, as you well know, clearing our corporate grounds with chain saws and power equipment in my spare time. [laughter] How’s that?

0:02:58.3 LJJ: Well, but that’s the truth.

0:03:01.8 JM: So, this requires time. And it’s like, how should time be spent? To help somebody or to just fritter it away? I’m not one to fritter away time, and I’d like to spend my time wisely.

0:03:11.8 LJJ: Well, the first time that I ever volunteered with you was at an MS Walk, and I did the 5k and I like to consider myself a stroller. And you lap me three times.

0:03:25.7 JM: Yeah, well, that’s why I always claim that I was the eight-time MS Kalamazoo Walk Champion, even though I had said it wasn’t a race. Okay? Because it’s not a race. I just like to finish quick to start on some other tasks. [laughter] There’s a lot of work needed in those events that’s behind the scenes that people don’t realize.

0:03:42.5 LJJ: And you love that part of volunteering.

0:03:44.7 JM: It is hard work sometimes. That MS Bike … I’m a truck driver unloading trucks from 5:00 AM to 5:00 PM, so it’s like I’m no spring chicken anymore, unfortunately.

0:03:56.7 LJJ: Well, I don’t know about that. [laughter] Now, here’s my next question. You mentioned Relay For Life is a very big part of what you do and that the American Cancer Society has a personal attachment.

0:04:10.3 JM: I lost my mother to pancreatic cancer in 1992 when she was only like 64 years old. And that was just a terrible way to have to go. So cancer, it needs to be defeated on top of the list.

0:04:24.8 LJJ: The things that we have learned because of volunteers like you, regarding cancer and the lifestyle — Consumers has taught me that wellness is an overall every day. You have to work on it every day for yourself.

0:04:39.5 JM: Sure.

0:04:41.1 LJJ: And that’s relatively new in the last, I think, couple of decades. Don’t you think?

0:04:44.6 JM: Yeah, and then it has a domino effect.

0:04:48.1 LJJ: Has there been times where it just made you pause? That really your … Maybe you were walking alongside someone. Maybe you met someone in the volunteer avenue. You talked about your mom, but is there other things? You mentioned co-workers and colleagues who have these diseases that you’re working alongside.

0:05:06.6 JM: So that’s why I told you, Relay For Life. I would walk until my legs bled, because when I measured what that took to show determination, that was nothing compared to the pain of cancer. So, the cost to me to show resolve and determination was paid willingly under the circumstances.

0:05:29.9 LJJ: What would you tell someone who is timid about volunteering? They just haven’t yet, and they really want to, but don’t know how.

0:05:37.8 JM: Well, volunteering doesn’t even have to be doing something either. Money is helpful, even though a presence is always better. But you don’t have to engage in activity. You could be a blood donor as well, for instance. So, I’m in the Nine-Gallon Club, in case you were wondering.

0:05:57.5 LJJ: [laughter] I was wondering. You have a shirt on that says, “Team Consumers.” And one of the things that you’ve always done is talked about how important team is when we are volunteering at these events.

0:06:10.6 JM: Yes, I gained the respect for team from participating in sports as a child, as a teenager, and as an adult. So, it’s like a team is a very important concept to accomplish things because that’s way more powerful than yourself as a single entity. So, Team Consumers is a way to reward our employees for healthy behavior. So, it’s something that I encourage every employee to take advantage of because it’s like you’re paid to enjoy wellness. What could be better?

0:06:45.4 LJJ: You have volunteered from the second you started. Is there any event that you have been to 15 years in a row?

0:06:52.1 JM: Alzheimer’s Walks I’ve been to. And probably MS Walks.

0:06:56.7 LJJ: I saw your Alzheimer’s Walk. It means a great deal to me, with my mother who had Alzheimer’s and passed away.

0:07:03.6 JM: That’s the most gut-wrenching thing. At an Alzheimer’s event, a person had their entire speech written out on paper with their life coach up on the podium, and they could not recite their own written words back. Seeing that was something that if that doesn’t drive home what dementia and Alzheimer’s do to your loved ones, nothing else could ever do that. It’s like, it’s awful.

0:07:32.3 LJJ: We mentioned at the beginning of the podcast, we mentioned being thankful and Jake and I … Jake is our Executive Producer, and he and I together thought who would be the best person to sit on the podcast couch to talk about being grateful and being thankful? And, Jim, you are that person that was chosen not because of the fact that we thought your story was something that you are humble to tell. But because the story needs to be told. We are so grateful for your care, your determination, your passion. Not only for Consumers, but for all of our core charities.

0:08:12.0 JM: Thanks for having me.

0:08:13.1 LJJ: Thank you for listening 250 episodes. Wow, it’s just hard to wrap your arms around, isn’t it? Hey, Jake Esselink, thank you. You’ve been here all the way as executive producer. And I hope everybody has a wonderful, wonderful week. And you know what? Take time to think about the things that you do volunteer in. If you’d like, open the door to volunteer and more and please join any of us at all of our events here at Consumers Credit Union. You can find all of the non-profit charities that we support, the core charities that we support at www.consumerscu.org.

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