Congratulations to John Swendig, spouse of Good Samaritans of Garland executive director, Pam Swendig, for his well-deserved Diversity Spectrum Award presented by his employer, the IRS Large Business & International (LB&I) Division.
The Diversity Spectrum Award recognizes LB&I employees who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to maintaining and promoting an environment of diversity, equal employment opportunity and inclusion, aligned with LB&I vision. Nominations are evaluated on leadership, commitment and employee engagement; advancing an environment of inclusion and community leadership and outreach.
Kathy Kruchten, director of Field Operations, South Central nominated John. She said, “John works to ensure the DFO area runs smoothly. He values diversity and recognizes the talents and contributions of his peers, other employees and leaders across the division. He fosters and promotes an inclusive work environment where diversity and individual differences are valued and leveraged. John leads by example and he exemplifies the values and the character we expect of our public servants.”
John is extremely active in the Garland community. He gives tirelessly to the Good Samaritans of Garland food pantry and to his church community. Many evenings and weekends you can find John working at Good Sam in the food pantry, unloading donations, driving to pick up donations or mowing the grounds. During COVID, he significantly increased his volunteer hours, using his accrued leave each Monday.
Congratulations, John, on winning the Diversity Spectrum Award! Good Samaritans of Garland is honored and blessed over and over by your servant’s heart.
About: Good Samaritans of Garland, “Good Sam”, was formed in 1983 from an alliance of several Garland faith communities with the intent to provide centrally-located services for neighbors in need of assistance. In 2016, the board of directors elected to narrow Good Sam’s assistance to providing food with kindness and compassion to our hungry and food-insecure neighbors living in Garland, Rowlett and Sachse. Hunger and food insecurity are closely related, but distinct, concepts. Hunger refers to a physical sensation of discomfort, while food insecurity refers to a lack of available financial resources for food at the level of the household.