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WILKES-BARRE — Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Jon Kolb threw a lot of “P” words around during his talk Saturday morning at The Hope Center of Wyoming Valley.
Kolb addressed about 75 men at the annual Men’s Conference, presented by The Hope Center and Men of Hope.
Those “P” words used by Kolb to deliver his message were:
Perspective
Potential
Purpose
Power
Process
Kolb cited several passages and people in The Bible to get his message across. As a member of four Steelers Super Bowl championship teams, Kolb knows something about hard work, dedication and teamwork.
A graduate of Oklahoma State University, Kolb said he is a part-time college professor. One topic he lectures on is kinesiology — the study of human movement.
Kinesiologists identify and examine how the human body moves and how it can function better. They can work in a wide variety of settings — everywhere from the sidelines at a sports arena to a research laboratory.
Protecting Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw for years qualifies Kolb as somewhat of an expert on human movement.
“When a defensive lineman sacks a quarterback, what does he do?” Kolb asked the audience. “He dances. Now he may have 70 plays during a game and he may get one sack. The offensive lineman, however, he is successful 69 times, keeping that defensive lineman away from the quarterback.”
Kolb didn’t say it, but he could have asked, “Really, who should be dancing? The guy who is successful once out of 70 times, or the guy who is successful 69 out of 70 times?
Get the point?
Kolb was an engaging speaker. As he told his stories and put his Oklahoma slant on each, you could see his message was getting through. The whole point of the Men’s Conference is to show men how to be better. As Kolb and former Penn State/NFL defensive lineman Leo Wisniewski said, men often struggle with trying to do what they should do.
Kolb said it’s not a matter of who you are — what matters is whose you are and that is God’s.
Several of my high school pals attended the conference. It was good to see them all — Jimmy Gialanella, John Payer, Ed Mitchell, Duane Kersteen, Bill Rolland, Rich Mackiewicz — hope I didn’t miss anybody. And there were two others — Dave Roberts, who coordinated the Men’s Conference, and Ron Hillard, the director of The Hope Center.
The Hope Center is a free medical clinic on Main Street in Luzerne that is dedicated to the uninsured and under-insured. Services offered include medical, dental, chiropractic, vision, legal, and pastoral. All services are delivered by volunteers and there are no paid employees.
Ron Hillard knows about those “P” words. He has used each of them — perspective, potential, purpose, power and process — to create a clinic that serves so many who without it, well, let’s not even think about those consequences.
Men like Kolb and Wisniewski have done great things in their public lives on the gridiron and in their post-football lives speaking and motivating men to be better at being men. They have set great examples for others to emulate and if their messages are delivered, those hearing them will immediately improve going forward.
But for guys like Ron Hillard, who probably was most famous for playing football at Plymouth, Wyoming Valley West and Wilkes College, setting a good example has always been his mission. Hillard has done this in a most unassuming way. He saw a need and he rolled up his sleeves and he accomplished more than he could have ever imagined.
Roberts, a member of Men of Hope, had this to say.
“The message is for men to walk the walk — a good walk — as a man. Many men struggle with that to some degree. The message is to show them how to walk the good walk and to fight the good fight.”
Hillard has been talking the talk and walking the walk for more than 15 years with his Hope Center. He knows how important it is to deliver services to people who without a Hope Center would have no hope.
Kolb is 71, Hillard is 69. They have traveled similar paths and they continue to give back.
The message? Gain the perspective, realize your potential, identify your purpose, use your inner power and begin the process.