The loss of a friend and a mentor..

Smiling in his white jacket (the kids always teased him about how clean his was!)

When my son joined Team 4935, I originally was just a spectator.  Someone to bring snacks and cheer for the team.  Then I took on the official role as Team Mom. I would sit in the stands and take pictures, post on social media, live stream our matches, and generally make a complete spectacle of myself, much to the chagrin of my child. This past season, our amazing Marketing Mentor, Kevin Gingerich, approached me and asked me if I wanted an official "Mentor" spot as his co-lead.  I jumped at the chance! To be official?  Heck yeah! I happily submitted to the background check and began looking for ways to be as much help to our team as I could. Our team is comprised of kids in all colors of the rainbow. Many of these kids have parents that don't speak English. Some have parents that escaped war-torn countries to be here. And Kevin welcomed them all. He showed me how to be a mentor, someone who these kids would look up to and trust to show them how to be as great as they possibly could be. 

Behind the lens as usual!

Kevin taught me so much in such a short period of time. I have no formal marketing experience, just a big mouth and a big personality in a little body.  He showed me how the inner workings of the team went, how to effectively ask people for money, how to stay organized when you are dealing with a bunch of teenagers, and so much more. I had no flipping idea what an OPL was before this year! (It's an Open Points List and trust me, it makes organization so much easier....)
Looking at the camera at the Mentors Meeting

Kevin was what you would call a Quiet Storm.  It struck me, as I was going through the pictures of our team from our inaugural season to now, how few pictures we have of him.  I finally realized, he was always the guy behind the camera. The shots from the stands, the team photos, the candid pictures; those were all taken by him. He documented our little team from its humble beginnings all the way through last season, a season that had some amazing highs and incredible lows.  His job had become more travel intensive, and at the end of the FIRST PowerUp season last year, he approached me and told me that he was going to have to step back. He wanted to know if I would take over as the full Marketing lead.  I was apprehensive and intimidated, because I didn't know if I could ever fill his shoes.  He told me that he'd be around, in the background, always a resource for me to turn to if I ever needed him. I never thought that wouldn't be true.
Roboprom 2018

Earlier this week, Team 4935 experienced a loss like we never have before.  Kevin passed away unexpectedly and left a void that is impossible to explain.  His family, his friends and his co-workers are all devastated at the loss of this wonderful man.  Kevin was truly one of a kind.  He had a wicked sense of humor. He was intelligent and thoughtful and a champion for social justice. He loved good beer, Germany and good BBQ. He loved music and vinyl records were one of his passions. He could talk to you about classic rock, R&B, and so much more. He gave so much of himself to the team and was an incredible resource in so many ways. I was "voluntold" to be a part of Team T-Rex because I had a child on the team. Kevin was a mentor because he believed in the principles of FIRST, believed that we could change the world by changing the life of just one child, and because he believed in these kids.  He didn't have one child on the team, he had 50. The kids of Team 4935 are all better people in this world because of him.  I know I'm a better person for knowing him as well.  We will miss you Mr. Gingerich, and you have definitely Left an Imprint on all of us.


Comments

  1. UnknownJune 25, 2018 at 6:00 PM

    We are so sorry for your loss. I speak for all of the mentors and students on FIRST FRC Team 587 the Hedgehogs; we will miss his presence at the NC events. Our hearts are heavy for you, but we are praying for you as well.
    Nina Morley Daye teacher coach and main team contact

    ReplyDelete

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