05/07/2024
In 2012 I met Carlos at a Starbucks in Sterling VA. I was a new insurance salesman for the Knights of Columbus and was calling on all our members. He asked if we could meet early the next morning. When we met, he told me his health precluded him from getting insurance. Then he told me he was on a mission to help the unemployed. He said that many people were meeting him at Starbucks, and he was helping them in their job searches. He said I don’t think my mission in the Knights of Columbus is to just flip pancakes. Instead, he wanted to give back to the community in a meaningful way by helping people in need. I told him that was commendable and would keep that in mind.
Later I was meeting with a different client, and he said to me “Leo, I can’t afford to buy insurance because I have a son that can’t find a job and he is now living in my basement. So, I put his son in touch with Carlos and Carlos helped him get a job. Soon many people were coming up to me asking me for Carlos’s help. So, I started to help Carlos at Starbucks, but we soon outgrew that location and we moved to a Pizza Shop. We formed a group in Meetup called Nova Job Outreach. And people from all over the area came to us for help. At first, they would come to us desperate, extremely nervous at their wits end and over time we would see a change in them, they became calm and understood they were not alone, and people were there that could help. When they put our plan in place, they gained confidence and soon found what they were looking for. By this time, we had many members of the Knights of Columbus helping with reviewing resumes, keeping track of the job seekers’ progress, and performing mock interviews, and Carlos was our leader. We helped many people of all ages, races and religions find jobs. It was a miracle, and it was all due to Carlos.
Thank you, Carlos. I am sure God has got plenty of work for you to do in heaven. It was a privilege to work with you. You will be missed.
