“Anyone who meets Marty would say he’s a breath of fresh air,” said Todd Kunau, owner of Kunau Imple- ment. “He’s such a positive force in our company. His willingness to help our customers and those in the community is an inspiration to all of us and his excitement to be involved is contagious.”
Marty Spies | Kunau Implement DeWitt, Iowa
For nearly a quarter of a century, Marty Spies has assisted customers in the parts department at Kunau Implement in DeWitt, Iowa. When he isn’t working at the dealership, he can usually be found volunteering in the community.
“Volunteering is my way of making the world a better place not only for my kids, but my family, friends and community, too,” exclaimed Spies, who served as leader of the DeWitt Hustlers 4-H club for 14 years. “My motto with the group was, ‘This club is the car and you guys are the gas. It won’t run with- out you.’ These kids are what kept me going for 14 years.”
The group experienced tremendous growth under his leadership. “When I first started, there were 26 kids (4th
through 12th graders) in the group. When
I retired last year, there were 50,” reflected Spies, who shared his strong sense of volunteerism with the 4-H youth by getting them involved in community service projects, such as putting up and taking down the city’s Christmas lights, a tradition that continues today.
Spies also spent eight summers working with Clinton County 4-H youth training dogs for show- manship, obedience and agility classes at the fair, and coached elementary basketball for four years and softball for three. “Initially, I started coaching because my kids were involved and no one else would step up to help,” explained Spies. “Over time, I came to realize that what makes the world work is everyone doing their part. I don’t feel that I do any more than the next person.”
In addition, he can be found flying around in his Challenger ultralight plane to capture aerial photos of events for the local newspaper and to assist with search and rescue efforts for the Sheriff’s depart- ment.
According to Spies, the family-friendly atmosphere at Kunau Implement makes it possible for him to volunteer. “The management team at Kunau sup- ports my community involvement and provides me with the flexibility to take a few hours off now and then to volunteer,” he reflected. “That’s one of many reasons why I have continued working at Kunau for 24 years.”
Now that Spies’ kids are both in college, he has cut back a bit on his volunteer hours. “When I finally get to the point where I retire from here (Kunau), I’ll probably find myself back volunteering in the food stands at the baseball parks,” said Spies with a laugh.
He continued, “While the pay (for volunteering) is horrible, the reward is awesome. Fifteen years ago, a 10-year old girl I used to coach came up and hugged me. That little girl’s hug and a simple ‘thank you’ is all it takes to make every hour I volunteer worth it.”
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