People for Care and Learning Plans Leadership Turnover
People for Care and Learning (PCL), a humanitarian organization headquartered in Cleveland, Tennessee, and working primarily in Cambodia and neighboring Southeast Asian nations, has announced a change of top leadership that will take place in coming months.
Dr. Fred Garmon, who has led the organization for 12 years, will be replaced by Travis Johnson, a longtime PCL Advisory Council member and strong financial supporter.
Although autonomous, PCL’s roots are, and continue to be, in the Church of God. It operates five programs designed to help alleviate poverty: (1) two orphanages; (2) an integrated farm; (3) management, job training, and English-instruction schools; (4) a restaurant used for job training and funding; and (5) a massive housing project, developed under the “Build a City” rubric. Thousands of Cambodians have been assisted to have better lives during the organization’s 14-year history.
Garmon, formerly a longtime pastor and doctoral faculty member at the Pentecostal Theological Seminary, has in recent years developed and given a great deal of attention to a leadership training program called LeaderLabs, which focuses on enhancing the skills of church leaders. He has used the income from the training of leaders to help subsidize the humanitarian work. He plans to continue his involvement with LeaderLabs after he steps away from PCL.
“The People for Care and Learning Board was unanimous in their recommendation of Travis as Executive Director, and I can think of no one who is as invested and committed to the group as he is,” stated Garmon. “He is as interested in the global mission of the Church as I am, and he has demonstrated his dedication by his personal and continuing involvement.”
Johnson is pastor of Life Pointe Church in Homestead, Florida, where he has served since 2003. During that period, the congregation has progressed from 27 people has to a rapidly growing, multicultural church on a debt-free, 20-acre camps. Johnson brings years of corporate marketing experience working with C-level executives in the world’s most recognizable brands.
An avid cyclist, Johnson in 2011 made a six-day, 610-mile bike ride across Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand, raising money and awareness for PCL. He has since developed an organization called Buy a Tree Change a Life, which supports PCL by selling Christmas trees across the United States through local churches. Last year that effort produced nearly $300,000 for humanitarian purposes.
Julie Martinez, the country director and top PCL leader on the field, said, “Travis believes in PCL, and he has proven it over and over by words and actions. He has made multiple trips and possesses in-depth knowledge of our work. He understands our history and knows our staff, and all of them respect him.”
Johnson is poised to take the leadership reins at the end of December 2016.
The People for Care and Learning story is on the Internet at www.pcl.is. To learn more about participation in Buy a Tree Change a Life visit www.buyatreechangealife.com.
