Written by Eliza Brown
The conditions must be perfect for a hot air balloon to launch; the slightest breeze or change in weather can significantly alter the outcome of the ride. The morning of June 11, six Garden Spot Village team members awoke when it was still dark, followed protocol and called in to hear if the conditions were right for takeoff. By 6am their anticipated balloon ride was launching.
Just a month prior to this launch, Garden Spot Village was ranked 2nd nationwide by U.S. News & World Report. Never a company to pass up a reason to celebrate, Garden Spot Village offered six spots in a hot air balloon ride at their celebration of this achievement. Many employees entered, but the lucky six who won were Derek Mohler, Becky Wentzel, Andrea Smoker, Fred Newswanger, Cindy Rouvre and Jes Wagner. Together they ventured up 2,000 feet into the clear, quiet morning air where they could see from New Holland to Intercourse. They looked down until the streets they all know well, as Jes recalls, “looked like a train set down below.”
The balloon rose higher, and everyone reported back the same realization: how peaceful it was. Away from the familiar rumblings of the neighborhoods waking up, Derek pointed out that the only noise that carried up that far was the occasional dog bark. Andrea remarked how the wind current dictated what direction they went. What a way to begin a day, peering down at the world below, where noise can’t reach you, as the wind decides where you’ll go next.
It is one thing to have this experience on one’s own. It is another thing entirely to work in a community that not only encourages this type of experience but provides direct access to it. Garden Spot Village is, according to their employee proposition, a “community committed to knowing you and helping you fulfill your dreams and live the life you imagine.” Providing this potential opportunity for all employees was Garden Spot’s way of upholding their proposition. Of the hot air balloon ride, Andrea stated, “I had wanted to do this for quite some time.” Jes remarked, “People keep asking me if I was scared but honestly it was such a surreal experience, I was just so thrilled to be there,” and Cindy responded, “how lucky we are to be surrounded by such beautiful geography with the abundant farmland.”
The conditions must be perfect for a hot air balloon to launch.
The conditions must also be just right for a community to thrive. A community that listens, a community that provides, and a community that honors each other is a community worth investing one’s time in. Garden Spot Village, by honoring the hard work and dedication of their employees, is achieving their goal of being a place where team members and residents alike can achieve their goals and thrive.