What do a plastics materials salesman, a custom molder and leading manufacturer of golf discs, and a missionary-driven Christian church all have in common with a small village deep in the heart of the Dominican Republic?
For starters, a joint desire to make a difference experience the thrill of bringing many hours of joy to 100+ poor children, among a myriad of other things. And for another, people like Scott Prill, and Chad and Brad Richardson who had the forethought and access to a widely popular plastic product and who were confident their little benevolence would generate such happiness. Read on to learn about the “gesture” made by a key member of an entourage of 19 people to this small village in February of 2013.
Scott
Prill, a lifelong technical plastics sales representative who now sells
special plastics materials for Alliance Polymers and Services LLC (APS,
Romulus, MI), is an active member of the Thornapple Valley Church in
Hastings, MI. Earlier this year, he volunteered to embark on a weeklong
charity mission to El Tamarindo, in the Province of Baoruco, Dominican
Republic. In addition to volunteer duties with this Christian church
group – building or fixing homes made from concrete block, tin or other
materials and ministering, plus helping citizens in any way they could –
Scott pondered how he could make a unique sort of difference with the
town’s youngest citizens, the children.During a visit to one of his customers to discuss their plastics materials needs for soft durable materials, thermoplastic polyurethanes or TPUs sold by APS through Scott, the solution came to him – ask the owners of MVP Disc Sports LLC (Brown City, MI), Chad and Brad Richardson whose line of popular golf discs (often called “Frisbee golf,”) - if they could provide him with some golf disc samples to bring with him.
According to Scott, “Their response absolutely floored me,“ he recalls. “I realistically expected to be given a dozen or so discs, but in their generosity, they gave me 100 of the products.
“To
my amazement,” Scott recalls fondly, “when our entourage arrived in El
Tamarindo and we initiated our mission’s goals, among them to rebuild or
fix up homes, hold several health care clinics and counsel the
villagers mentally and physically, I had the opportunity to get the
children together. I then I opened the cases of the flying discs. I
was surprised and perhaps a bit naïve to see the faces of the children
and learn they had never seen a “flying toy” before. When I showed them
how to throw the discs, they were enthralled and overjoyed. I never
expected this sort of reaction. It was one of the most gratifying
experiences I can recall ever having.”The “plasticsman” continues, “Each child received his or her very own brightly colored flying disc and I had extra that I was able to donate several extra discs to two very poor schools in the area. It’s great to be involved in the plastics industry all these years,” says Scott, “and to know and work with so many benevolent people. I hope to make regular trips back to El Tamarindo not just to perform my volunteer missionary work, but through contacts and offerings by those in my profession – the wonderful world of plastics – to continue to bring joy to those great youngsters in this and other small communities.”
