Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kevin Reichle. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Kevin, you’ve got such an interesting story, but before we jump into that, let’s first talk about a topic near and dear to us – generosity. We think success, happiness and wellbeing depends on authentic generosity and empathy and so we’d love to hear about how you become such a generous person – where do you think your generosity comes from?
My generosity comes from the realization that I have been given much. This is not only an amazing gift but also a challenge to steward my gifts well. Gifts include financial resources, but just as importantly, gifts include my talents and time. In Luke chapter 12, Jesus says, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required.” I want to be faithful to these words. When I see so many people that are struggling because they don’t have opportunities that I have been afforded, that is an amazing platform for generosity. Not just my generosity, but the generosity of others. So part of using my gifts is also mobilizing others to be generous with their time, talent, and treasure.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Fast forward a couple years and Alliance is on staff with a local church in Austin, Texas running a refugee ministry with a small team of volunteers. As he and I talked, the need far outweighed the available resources. And we began dreaming about what it could look like to start a non-profit aimed at mobilizing many churches, volunteers, and partners in Austin to come alongside refugees and asylum seekers to love and serve them in our city. We prayed and asked God to give us vision about starting this new journey.
On May 2nd of 2023, we officially launched More Than Welcome, a non-profit that seeks to come alongside refugee and asylum seeking families as they learn to integrate into our community by helping meet short-term needs while sharing the love of Christ for long-term hope. We aim to provide friendship and community for these neighbors and to rally volunteers from around our city to help them feel supported and connected.
Personally, I was a software executive for the last 20 years. More Than Welcome was something I was doing on the side. But a funny thing happened along the way. As we got it launched and I started to meet with churches and new families arriving from all over the world, I started to feel a fulfillment from my work that I had never experienced before. It’s one thing to complete a project or make your sales goals for the year. It’s something entirely different to help change the lives of and provide hope for a family from a completely different part of the world. And More Than Welcome affords me the opportunity to work with my wife and children in a ministry that we care deeply about. I am able to use many of the skills I learned in business throughout the years to help develop and grow relationships with churches and partners around our city.
I’m a big fan of the underdog. Always have been. The stories of perseverance and overcoming that I get to hear and be a part of inspire me and encourage us in this work. It truly is an honor and privilege to come alongside these families that have given up so much of themselves to be in Austin trying to make a better life for their family. I’ve gotten to know many new friends and love what they bring to our community and the amazing gratitude they have in the face of overwhelming adversity.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I would say the top quality to focus on for success is self-awareness. I would like to think that I model that well. The ability to understand your weaknesses and invite others to step into those areas is actually a strength. Along with self-awareness, you also need humility to be coachable in areas that you need to grow in. Finally, I would say being a servant leader has always served me well. Having the posture that I am there to serve, empower, and grow the people I’m fortunate enough to work with has made teams fun and effective over the years. We have achieved a lot by truly being team oriented and caring more about team success than individual achievements.
For those just starting out on the journey, ask for feedback early and often. Don’t be afraid to get areas of improvement. That’s more valuable than hearing all the things you are doing well. Commit to working on these areas and continue to ask for feedback on whether you are improving. Be humble and willing to learn from others. Curiosity and a desire to keep learning will serve anyone well for their entire life.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
There are over 110 million people displaced from their homes around the world. Caring for this marginalized group takes an army of coordinated care. All human beings deserve love and dignity so we are called to answer this challenge.
At More Than Welcome, we are only successful by partnering with great ministries, churches, and organizations throughout our city. We are always looking for more resources and partners. Specific help areas include: employers willing to hire refugees and asylum seekers, legal assistance for filing status paperwork, affordable housing options, affordable healthcare options, local/state/national grant funding, ESL volunteers, and donors passionate about this work.
You can connect with us at info@morethanwelcome.org or you can visit our website at www.morethanwelcome.org to learn more.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.morethanwelcome.org
- Instagram: instagram.com/morethanwelcomeinc
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/morethanwelcome/
