I work in our Operations Coordination Center (OCC), the nerve center of Southwest’s operation that touches all 3,000+ flights, 700 aircraft, and more than 350,000 Customers each day. My role on the Team is to oversee our Payroll and Administrative functions and help ensure that everyone in our department has what they need to keep our operation running 24/7.
Recently, our group lost a longtime member of our Family, Superintendent of Dispatch (and 37-year Southwest Employee), Mike. Among Mike’s countless contributions to our department, our Company, and our community, was his commitment to the Ronald McDonald House. Mike spearheaded the OCC’s annual December trip to the Dallas Ronald McDonald House, where we would decorate the house for the holidays and serve dinner to the families staying at the home.
This was our first year without Mike, and although his presence was deeply missed, we knew that Mike would want us to continue helping the well-deserving charity. So on December 3, we loaded up our cars with all the fixings to make chicken pot pie, salad, and banana pudding (and threw in some reindeer antlers and Santa hats, of course!), and headed to the Dallas Ronald McDonald House.
Together, our Employees decorated numerous Christmas trees, hung lights around the perimeter of the house, put up wreaths, strung garland, and tried our hardest to bring a little holiday cheer to the amazing guests of the Ronald McDonald House.
At the end of the night, we served a home cooked meal to the wonderful families staying at the home. They kept thanking us—but we were the ones who felt truly grateful; for our ability to be there that day; for working for such a great Company that encourages our volunteerism; and for continuing the tradition that Mike loved so much.
#LUVfromtheHeart
Mike with his family at the DAL RMH in 2010
This was our first year without Mike, and although his presence was deeply missed, we knew that Mike would want us to continue helping the well-deserving charity. So on December 3, we loaded up our cars with all the fixings to make chicken pot pie, salad, and banana pudding (and threw in some reindeer antlers and Santa hats, of course!), and headed to the Dallas Ronald McDonald House.
Together, our Employees decorated numerous Christmas trees, hung lights around the perimeter of the house, put up wreaths, strung garland, and tried our hardest to bring a little holiday cheer to the amazing guests of the Ronald McDonald House.
At the end of the night, we served a home cooked meal to the wonderful families staying at the home. They kept thanking us—but we were the ones who felt truly grateful; for our ability to be there that day; for working for such a great Company that encourages our volunteerism; and for continuing the tradition that Mike loved so much.
#LUVfromtheHeart
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