Dirty hands, warm hearts repay lawyer’s toil in Ecuador
As a youth, Chicago attorney John Power’s parents taught him the importance of helping the community and its residents. That lesson has guided him professionally and personally, and he strongly believes in what he sees as the right thing to do.
A partner at Cogan & McNabola, where he practices personal injury and medical malpractice law, Power is a 1987 graduate of the Loyola University School of Law.
In 1993, he was a founder of a defense firm that grew to 13 lawyers, but he “switched sides” in 2001 and joined Cogan, thinking the time was right.
“I tried a lot of cases as a defense lawyer,” Power said, “but I never got the professional satisfaction that I’ve had since switching sides and working with plaintiffs.”
Trials and clients give Power the most professional satisfaction. “The clients who continue to call and send stuff year after year are great,” he said. “The effect you have on their lives is incredible.
“I still make a point of taking small cases and helping people, even though it might not be financially rewarding, but because it’s the right thing to do.”
When an opportunity arose for Power to journey to Ecuador in November on a humanitarian mission, he didn’t hesitate. He thought this, too, was the right thing to do.
“A neighbor of mine, through his church, has traveled to Ecuador for the past three years for humanitarian causes,” he said. “It started with some fellow parishioners and eventually included his family members.”
Power was captivated by his neighbor’s stories about the trips, especially hearing of the fulfillment he received from the experiences.
When the neighbor told Power that he was trying to organize a group of volunteers for an eight-day November trip, he signed on. It was an easy decision.
“Growing up, my parents taught me to be service-oriented, but you get sidetracked with life,” he said. “This sounded like a great idea, and it just snowballed from there.”
Twelve volunteers made the trip at their own expense. One was another attorney, Thomas J. Stiberth of Elgin.
The host organization was Youth World, based in Quito, Ecuador. The organization was founded in 1994 “to impact Latin America and the world by reaching young people with the life-saving Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
This is partly accomplished, its Web site states, by exposing “churches, schools and organizations to missions, ministry and the world by creating short experiences for them … through exposure and ministry trips, work projects and adventure missions.”
Power elaborated. “Youth World is devoted to the youth of Quito and its surrounding rural areas because there’s a lot of drug and alcohol abuse with kids.
”The idea is to get the kids into a structured environment and provide a safe place for them to go on the weekends so they don’t fall victim to vices. The kids are also taught work skills that they can use in their communities.”
Power’s legal skills were of no use on this trip, so he went and got his hands dirty. “My dad taught me many blue-collar skills like electric, plumbing and carpentry.”
He was assigned to work at the Youth World facility, Hacienda El Refugio, a 320-acre training and retreat center situated at the base of a mountain.
There, children are taught how to use tools, among other things. Power explained that prior groups of volunteers installed a foundation, block walls and a roof. His group was tasked with trenching and getting electricity to what was to be the tool shop.
“We brought all of the wire and supplies, which were donated by an electrical company in Minnesota,” he said. “Getting equipment to Ecuador is difficult and expensive. We raised additional funds to help offset some of the project costs and a local school donated some clothing.
“We brought 20 military-style duffle bags stuffed with clothes,” Power said. “We estimated that we supplied two or three sets of clothes for each of the families that lived in the town.” Sporting equipment was also donated.
Power helped cut down eucalyptus trees that were sent to the impoverished town of Cali Cali to replace rafters on collapsed roofs. He also helped dig a foundation where a resident might build a house.
Power especially remembers Rick Borman, a young minister he encountered. “Rick was maybe 21,” he recalled, “and his father ventured into the Amazonian jungle to minister to the natives. He was one of the pioneers in Amazonian ministry.” Borman’s mother translated The Bible for the natives.
“Rick was raised in the jungle,” Power said. “Later, he went back to the jungle and has devoted is life to ministry. Rick’s complete and utter devotion to these people is amazing.”
The upbeat spirit of the children in the face of adversity additionally moved Power. “These children have nothing,” he said, “and yet they smile and enjoy life. It’s so simple and yet so complex on another level.
“By the fifth grade, the family decides whether their children will farm or attend school. If they choose farming, that is the end of school.”
Power said that anyone who returns from a trip like this looks at things differently. “When I left, I was in the midst of replacing some drywall in my kitchen ceiling,” he said. “I was stressed out because it wouldn’t be done for Thanksgiving.
“When I returned, I laughed at how I was worried about drywall and paint when the kids I saw struggle just to get through the day. So yes, it puts things in perspective.”
Power wants to do this type of work again, perhaps on the local level. Professionally, he applauds lawyers who perform pro bono work, but stresses that humanitarian work is totally different.
“Pro bono work is professionally rewarding,” he said. “But we helped children get clothes and we put a roof over someone’s head. This was completely out of the norm of what we do every day.”