STAN LATTA

Over the last twenty years, Stanley Michael Latta [Stan] has focused a vast majority of his time, energy, finances, and prayers to build opportunities for young people to serve.

As an Eagle Scout and decade-long volunteer at all levels with the Boy Scouts of America, he has trained future leaders in “character building, citizenship training and personal fitness.” He assisted these young men to become involved in organization service activities and to become engaged in the goal of being in service to solve community problems. As a Christian youth leader for over a decade, he gave countless time to create partnerships between church groups and to engage youth in service across ethnic, denominational and other boundaries. For his leadership with the BSA and his unparalleled commitment to faith, he was honored with the God and Service Award – the highest religious recognition given to volunteers. In light of his extraordinary honor, then North Carolina Governor James B. Hunt, Jr., issued a personal letter of appreciation: commending Stan for “the hundreds of young men who stand in your debt.”

Both inside and outside of the church and Scouting, Stan has helped to ensure that children and youth had ongoing relationships with caring persons. He personally ‘adopted’ several boys without fathers at home; and he reached out as a mentor, father figure and friend to care for, counsel and encourage these youth during a difficult period in their lives. He further helped youth through his work as a soccer and Odyssey of the Mind coach, an at-risk youth facilitator, a camp counselor to speech and hearing impaired children, and a hands-on volunteer for a special camp for children affected by asthma. His appointment by the Town Council to a three-year term on the Cary (NC) Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Advisory Board is a testament of his knowledge, skills, abilities and commitment.

Stan’s company (IBM) selected him out of 325,000 employees as the Worldwide Volunteer of the Month. He also has served as one of two IBM employee coordinators in the annual Employee Charitable Contribution Campaign that raised over three million dollars for the Triangle United Way in North Carolina.

In recognition of over twenty years and over four thousand hours of faithful service, the President of the United States (through the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation) presented Stan with The Call to Service Award – recognizing his unsurpassed and unmatched volunteer efforts. In fact, Stan has received numerous honors, awards, and accolades – too many to mention – from local groups, organizations, and by the regional press and his colleagues. Yet, despite all the publicity, he is a quiet bachelor and “simple country boy.” The best words to describe him would be the quote on his emails: We make a living by what we get – but we make a life by what we give. Stan Latta has made a life by serving his community, state, and nation; and he is a sterling example of a Point of Light.