David Polley, Valve and Regulator Mechanic, was named Citizens Energy Group’s 2019 Jefferson Award winner for his volunteerism at Leadership Forum on March 28. He and his family started an organization to help people in need around the world.
President and CEO Jeffrey Harrison presented Polley with a Jefferson Awards gold medal and a certificate to recognize the work he does to improve others’ lives.
Polley and his wife, Carol, and daughters, Rebekah and Rachel, started Increase Ministries in 2013. The not-for-profit’s mission is to “help children and families around the world grow academically, physically, spiritually, and socially.”
Although hearing that he was the 2019 winner of this prestigious award was an overwhelming honor, perhaps the biggest surprise was seeing his oldest daughter Rebekah standing at the back of the room. She left for Lithuania to do missions work in mid-November, and he wasn’t expecting to see her again until August.
“When I heard that my dad would be receiving this outstanding award, I could not pass up the opportunity to honor someone who doesn’t look for recognition, but simply wants to empower others,” Rebekah said. “He sacrifices his time and finances to make sure those around him succeed and flourish. There could not be a person more deserving of this prestigious award.”
While Carol, an ordained children’s minister, is the creative force behind Increase Ministries, David is always behind the scenes, doing whatever it takes to make overseas travel possible. He uses nearly all his PTO – which has added up over his 29 years working at Citizens – to travel to faraway places like Cuba, Ghana, India, Kenya, the Philippines, Rwanda, and Tanzania.
The Polleys have launched The Red Egg Campaign, a worldwide program that teaches concepts such as self-esteem and forgiveness in schools and orphanages. They often dress as clowns in order to connect with the children. More recently, they have created “ColorDrama” books for teachers in those parts of the world where resources are limited, to use in their classrooms as visual aids for storytelling and as coloring books.
“David steps out of his comfort zone on these trips to make an impact on the lives of the children and teachers,” said Carol. “He doesn’t really enjoy dressing up like a clown or teaching, but he does it because it is the right thing to do, looking beyond himself and into a world that needs us.”
David, along with Jefferson Award winners from across the country, will be honored at the National Ceremony in Washington, D.C., in June.
As a corporate partner of Multiplying Good (the non-profit that organizes the Jefferson Awards program and which was formerly called the Jefferson Awards Foundation), Citizens Energy Group is proud to honor an employee or retiree each year who embodies the spirit of the Jefferson Awards. If you’d like to nominate a coworker, visit www.bit.ly/JeffAwardsCitizens.
Click below to learn more about David and the work his family is doing around the world!
David Polley's family members and friends surprised him at the award presentation.
