When Karl Lange is not busy volunteering around the world, he works at Blue Ocean. Karl, who retired from a career in the military in 2001, is passionate about volunteerism. His efforts have made an enormous impact on the lives of people in need at home and abroad. Over the years, Karl has volunteered at Halifax’s Hope Cottage; given countless hours of his time as a buddy for youth with challenges for more than a decade; and he has helped paint schools and teach literacy skills in places like the Caribbean and South Africa. With his military career and several years working with a not-for-profit organization completed, Karl came to Blue Ocean in 2008 and has used his position as a reservations agent as a platform to pursue that volunteer passion.
“I had always wanted to return to my homeland of South Africa. My job at Blue Ocean helped me accomplish that. I joined the company in 2008 and was able to travel to South Africa for six months in late 2009 and early 2010. Before I left for South Africa, I was concerned that there might not be a job for me when I returned to Canada because I planned to be gone so long, but, my Project Manager and Project Coordinator, at Blue Ocean said they’d love to have me back and there would be a job when I returned.”
Not only did that assurance give Karl peace of mind for his journey to South Africa, it sparked the idea that he could make a habit of this: use a position at Blue Ocean to supplement his pension and support international travel and volunteer work. “Knowing I could return to Blue Ocean took a lot off my mind for my South African trip where I volunteered at a school for kids struggling withliteracy, but I had already started to plan my next adventure before I evenleft for South Africa.”
That next adventure is underway. Karl’s 2011 volunteer travel takes him to the jungles of Central America where he has signed on as a volunteer with Casa Guatemala, a home and school for orphaned, abandoned, or abused children. And yes, when that volunteer term is complete, Karl will be back on the reservation team at Blue Ocean, supporting a global leader in executive ground transportation, and making plans for his next journey to help improve the lives of people in need.
