Board Service Spotlight: Kevin Taylor & Rochelle Center

There is a wisdom of the head... and a wisdom of the heart. -Charles Dickens

Kevin Taylor, Senior Resource Analyst at HCA, blends wisdom of the head and heart in his service the Rochelle Center as a board member and HCA Caring for the Community Leader. He is well aware of the role agencies like the Rochelle Center play in the lives of people living with disabilities, their caregivers and families both from personal experience and through his service.

The Rochelle Center is a complex organization with several programs including adult day care, work training and community based living. Together these programs provide a comprehensive set of options for individuals with a wide spectrum of physical and mental disabilities. Kevin notes that agencies like Rochelle are crucial for people living with disabilities, like his own stepson, to be “heard, understood and have similar options in life like anybody else...agencies like Rochelle Center are the only way they will be able to have that”.

Kevin says that one of his most powerful moments of service revealed the impact of the center on other families. During HCA’s 2014 Caring for the Community Day his team gathered to help revitalize Rochelle Center’s Sensory Garden, an outdoor space providing clients a rich sensory experiences and a connection to nature. As the HCA team worked, one of the regular garden volunteers, a client's parent, arrived. She was not expecting to see HCA employees working on the garden and with tears of happiness she expressed her gratitude that they had taken time out to help. Her appreciation helped them see something powerful about their service.

“We recognized how important it was to the clients, their parents and family...something we saw as so simple. The sheer joy she showed, the emotion – we got to see that and got a true understanding of the importance of what we do when we volunteer, no matter how insignificant it may appear”.

Kevin has served Rochelle's board since 2014. He says his colleagues have been important to his acclimation to board service, “once you see things in action...it’s contagious... it makes you want to be more engaged and more involved. Every board meeting I learn more”. Through his service, Kevin hopes to ensure that the Rochelle Center continues to provide a broad array of services and resources for people to live the most meaningful and productive lives possible.

This year, Kevin is taking on co-leadership of Rochelle’s annual fundraising event. Kevin invites all colleagues to join him for the 2016 Pop! Goes Rochelle event with Ms. Beegie Adair and Friends on March 10th from 6-9 pm at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University.