Cynthia Schwartz
Pam Cagle is the PebbleCreek Pickleball Club Volunteer/Player of the Month. While Pam is new to PebbleCreek and the club, she is not new to volunteering and helping others. Reflecting back on her childhood, Pam commented, “In grade school there was a girl who didn’t have shoes or clothes that fit her. Most of the kids didn’t want to be her friend. I decided to be kind to her and be her friend.” This is an example of Pam’s positive, giving, and helpful attitude that is deep-rooted in her faith-based life and shines in everything she does.
Pam was born in Oklahoma and raised in Kansas. She commented that while growing up she was a “sports spectator.” Pam said, “I was the last person to be picked on a team. I couldn’t catch a ball. I couldn’t run fast and the sight of a volleyball coming over the net was too much for me!”
Pam and her husband, Bill, met while working at Hallmark Cards. Using her people skills, Pam was the field trainer for the Southeast Regional Sales Force for Hallmark Cards, Ambassador Division and worked in Kansas, Missouri, Texas, and Tennessee. She also worked for General Electric in Tennessee as director of the GE Medical Call Center and became a Six Sigma expert. She took those skills to Walmart’s corporate headquarters in Arkansas, where she was the senior director for continuous improvement. Her focus was using Six Sigma methodology to develop a work environment that performs faster with fewer mistakes.
When contemplating retirement, Pam commented, “We wanted to live somewhere where there were no tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, or snow. When we visited PebbleCreek, we saw people walking, biking, playing pickleball, and hanging out at the pools. We liked that people were outdoors and active.” Pam and Bill moved to PebbleCreek and joined the PebbleCreek Pickleball Club’s novice training program. She said, “We were having so much fun. We became Lifetime Members as a way to contribute to building new courts.” Pam and Bill volunteered at the PebbleCreek tournament in February 2020. Bill was a line judge and Pam baked cookies and worked in the food booth. She also volunteered at the November club tournament.
In January, Pam and Bill volunteered for court maintenance that includes collecting lost and found items. Pam posts photos of items on Facebook so that the owners can claim their items. She commented, “I find so much stuff—water bottles, jackets, sunglasses, and paddles.”
Pam and Bill have also volunteered in their churches. They traveled to Belize to teach vacation Bible school, went on mission trips to China and Hong Kong, taught ESL to Chinese parishioners in Tennessee, and have hosted church events in their home. Pam said, “My approach to life is servant-leadership, a commitment to help people grow and build community.” Thank you, Pam, for being a PebbleCreek Pickleball Club volunteer, and we admire your mission to help others.