All the while she continued her trailblazing path as a hospital administrator and community volunteer, rising in the leadership of every organization she joined and transforming them for the better. My mom doesn’t just join; she leads.
As a young, working parent, I am always amazed how she and my dad have had successful careers, given back to their communities, and remained involved parents to my three brothers and me.
Growing up, my mom didn’t tell us about community involvement, she showed us. Whether it was taking my brothers and me to a bone marrow drive she helped organize, or checking on friends of friends in the hospital, or flipping pancakes at Kiwanis. She didn’t just talk the talk, she walked the walk.
But that’s only what the public sees … and it is only the surface. Raising four boys with my dad, she got up early every morning to work before we woke up, so she could always be there for dinner that night.
No matter the work and civic demands on her time, you’d look out at a school play or a Friday night basketball game, and she was there. Even in college, she would fly up to Virginia or Baton Rouge for any event, regardless of work schedule. My mom stories could fill a library.
My wife and I are jealous of her energy, as she bounds about with our boys, taking them all over Lakeland. She won’t sit still. When she walks into our kitchen, she rolls up her sleeves, looking to help rather than be a guest. In short, Carole Philipson is one of the most genuine individuals I have ever known. She is not a politician; she is a servant leader. And that is what Lakeland needs…and really, what every community needs.
By voting for Carole Philipson for city commissioner, you are voting for experience, for compassion, and for a genuine person, who will lead with heart, mind, and spirit to better the lives of all.
From our family to yours, thanks for your time.
Jon Philipson
