Davey Tree Flipbooks

21 May/June 2022 | THE DAVEY BULLETIN DRIVER RESCUED MINUTES BEFORE VEHICLE BURSTS INTO FLAMES Ellis Holbrook, general foreman, Consumers Energy account, was driving when he smelled burning wires. He caught up to a vehicle and saw smoke coming from it. As he got a little closer, he noticed what looked to be flaming plastic dripping down from underneath the back of the vehicle. "I realized the gas tank might be on fire, so I pulled up next to the driver and signaled for her to get over. She pulled over, and I let her know the vehicle was on fire," Ellis said. Within moments of helping the 83-year-old driver move a safe distance away from the vehicle, Ellis noticed the flames of the fire had grown 10 feet high. Within minutes, the gas tank caught fire and the entire vehicle went up in flames. LOOKING BEYOND LABELS Davey Green Leader Elaine Ustynek-Clark's volunteer efforts with local non-profit Change for Humanity has changed her perspective on what it means to be human and how much we take for granted. Ustynek-Clark is a client experience coordinator with Arborguard Tree Specialists, a Davey company. Several times a month, she volunteers for food drives in the Atlanta area. Change To Humanity pulls donations from Whole Foods that would otherwise be discarded and distributes the food to homeless and people in food insecure areas of the city. By volunteering for Change to Humanity, she's witnessed how society places labels on groups like the homeless, immigrants, addicts and more. "Those labels take away from the humanity of the individual," she said. "That's what I've learned that if you take away the labels they become more of a human in your eyes. As a society we tend to look away from what makes us uncomfortable, but we need to recognize these groups as individuals with needs and wants." Ellis Holbrook, general foreman, rescues a driver whose vehicle caught fire on U.S. Route 10 near Baldwin, Michigan. GIVING BACK TO A PURPLE HEART VETERAN The Youngstown Residential/ Commercial office donated tree work to their client Tim Federline, a Vietnam U.S. Marine Corps veteran and recipient of two purple hearts. In January, the crew performed maintenance dormant pruning work on Federline's large oak tree in his backyard. The office initially learned of his story after performing plant health care treatments on his magnolia tree. "We always participate in Saluting Branches, but I've always wanted an opportunity for our office to give back to a local veteran," said Geoff Clark, district manager. "It was quite an honor to talk with someone who has been through all that and can appreciate the work that we did for him." Clark's hope is that his office will be able to donate services to a local veteran each year moving forward. Four veterans work at the Youngstown office. Pictured kneeling from left are: Joe Reid, Marine Corps Veteran; Cody Cunningham, U.S. Air Force veteran; Matt Kuti, U.S. Coast Guard veteran; and Duane Stevenson. Standing from left are: Tim Ferderline, homeowner; Geoff Clark, U.S Air Force veteran; Mark Noark, Kevin Crump and Greg Russell. Elaine Ustynek-Clark said that it's an experience when you see first-hand how much food is wasted at the grocery store when you know how little some people have. Volunteering with Change to Humanity has allowed her to meet a lot of wonderful people and pushed her out of her comfort zone. INTEGRITY

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