When Help is Needed, Call out the Cavalry ... or Calvary Chemicals

Press releases land on my desk every day—make that every hour in the Internet world we live in—touting the latest and greatest from XYZ Company and all they have to offer. Everyone likes to toot their own horn, and we’re always happy to tell you all about great ideas and new products that might help you.

But then there are companies like Calvary Industries in Cincinnati, suppliers of pretreatment needs to finishers. A few months back, I learned that the management of Calvary and its employees were doing something special for those less fortunate around the world, especially in the poorer areas of Mexico where jobs are scarce and food is often a luxury.

Teams of Calvary employees and their families—more than 50 people in October alone—volunteer weeks at a time to provide care for orphans in Monterrey, Mexico through a partnership they have developed through Back2Back Ministries(back2backministries.org).

This is not something that company president John Morelock just recently decided to undertake. He has been spearheading the effort since 2004, sponsoring mission trips for employees and their friends and family, providing opportunities to serve alongside Back2Back, and ultimately empowering sustainable long-term change for orphans.

But another thing about Morelock and his Calvary employees: they really didn’t want to publicize their efforts, preferring to do their charity and then get back to work. No press releases, no “look at me,” no spotlight. We literally had to beg Morelock and Chris Berger, the company’s director of product development, to tell us the story, but it truly is a story worth telling about how so many people in the finishing industry like Calvary are some of the best corporate citizens.

Berger says their efforts are simply a chance to “build a bridge between people in need and people with resources.” And let’s not be mistaken about Calvalry’s intentions: The first line in the company mission statement is ”We will honor God in all we do.”

The company works closely with Back2Back to empower orphans to achieve their goals through education. Through the ‘Hope Education Program,’ they offer children from Mexican orphanages a way to continue education when free public school ends at ninth grade. Berger says the students stay on the Back2Back campus in homes with staff families, experiencing a healthy family life, perhaps for the very first time. He says students are mentored, provided with an education, and encouraged to pursue their dreams so that they can become self-sustaining individuals who give back to their community, which is important in a country where presently only 4 percent complete college.

Morelock says the first trip in 2004 was just two employees. The group of 50 that went in October was the ninth trip down for Calvary, and in the last few years the company has also expanded its mission to include friends and family who are in the medical profession on the trips. They minister to sick children who otherwise may have a difficult time obtaining medical care.

“Our goal is that each orphan we serve would experience restoration to a life of purpose,” Morelock says. “We also intentionally include opportunities for teams to connect with the children. We have even taken groups of kids to buy shoes and school supplies, or out for pizza.”

So chances are you’ll see Calvary Industries at trade shows and events touting their great products and services, but don’t expect them to thump their chest about their charity efforts. They keep that to themselves.

“Calvary wants to be a leader in metal finishing and pretreatment technology, but we also realize the tremendous significance of giving back to children in need,” Morelock says. “We are proud to be a part of a company that deeply values investing in the lives of orphans and impoverished people.” n