Separated from his father by divorce early in Harvey’s youth, the trail might certainly have lived up to its numerous metaphors, including the most used, “finding one’s self”, but together, he and his 78-year-old father-turned-crew-chief navigate the challenges of remote wilderness and unpredictable weather on their 2,190 mile journey to the top of Mount Katahdin.Īlong the way they encounter a cast of colorful characters, numerous geographic obstacles, excruciating physical pain, all the while discovering that the trail is about much more than just escape. The moment Harvey’s father (Jr.) offered to be his son’s crew chief, he KNEW this challenge would be mean more to him than just putting in the miles. There are two ways to approach this feat- supported or unsupported. Like his father, Van makes a difference.On May 30th 2018, Ultra-runner and Cincinnati-based high school teacher Harvey Lewis III set out to attempt the Fastest Known Time on the Appalachian Trail. It comes as no surprise Van White was honored with this award in January. He enjoys using his SHAPE to share God’s hope to those in need.Įvery month at the Saddleback Advanced Leadership Training (S.A.L.T.), representatives from each campus are given the Giant Killer award for serving above and beyond what could ever be expected.
Thursday, prior to a pro-am at the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes. Tiger Woods is playing alongside 11-year-old son Charlie in this weeks PNC Championship. Van has a passion to serve those less fortunate than himself. Explore the topics mentioned in this article. The death was a shock, of courseif foreshadowed at the end of last weekbut it was almost as. Since then he has also been serving at Saddleback Church's Food Pantry. In Treatment has been sometimes fascinating and sometimes a slog, but its long, slow build paid off stunningly, in the one-two punch of Alex’s death and Paul’s subsequent meeting with Alex’s father (played by The Wire’s Glynn Turman). Van retired about a year and a half ago after working for 50 years, the last 34 in the grocery industry. In fact, some of the children he used to greet with high fives now bring their children to him for their own high fives. He is grateful his welcome makes an impression on visitors. Van is such a sparkling ray of hope for visitors.
Van has often been thanked by visitors who say his is the only hug they receive all week. Sometimes that greeting comes with a hug. Van loves to answer questions, give directions and help people feel welcome and at home. Although a woman’s life is going in the right direction, she cannot escape memories of a former husband when her son shows disturbing behaviors. Greeters make the first impression on new visitors. Some of the children he used to greet with high fives now bring their children to him for their own high fives. To this day Van receives phone calls from boyhood friends from Willowbrook who express tremendous gratitude for the man who took them to their first Rams or Dodgers game the man who played basketball and street football with them. His father invested himself in the lives of children who were less fortunate, and it made a difference. Van's mother lovingly referred to her husband as a big kid, but Van saw what was really happening. Not just his own children, but many others from the neighborhood. While his father worked hard during the week, the weekends were spent playing sports with the kids. His father was a mail carrier who also worked part-time for a trucking company to provide for his wife and four children. Van was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, growing up in Willowbrook, a small community wedged between Watts and Compton. Van now welcomes our community into the Saddleback family, carrying on his father’s legacy of welcoming kids from the community into his family. The obvious question is, "How does someone serve with the same ministry for 26 years?" To understand this answer, it helps to know Van’s legacy. In 1989, Van joined the Greeters Ministry and fulfilled his desire to meet others - well beyond anything he could have imagined. They loved the church, and Van decided he wanted to get to know more of the people he spent his weekends with. When Van first brought his wife, Sharon, to Saddleback in 1988, he was amazed how being greeted by so many people on the way to the Worship Center made this big church quickly feel like home. He enjoys using his SHAPE to share God’s hope to those in need. Van has a passion to serve those less fortunate than himself. 26 years of giving handshakes, hugs and high fives as a greeter have made Van White one of the most recognizable people at Saddleback. If you've been to the Lake Forest campus of Saddleback Church there is a good chance you've seen him.