Paul Carmony simply serves others.
He’s not at all in it for the awards or accolades (though he won the president’s Volunteer Service Award in 2007 and WLKY’s 43rd annual Bell Awards in 2020).
“It’s a matter of helping out people who need help. I just care. That’s all,” Carmony said. “I don’t serve for any specific reasons. I just do it because it needs to be done.”
Carmony is a man of few words, but he’s faithful in his work.
Since 1999, Carmony has driven about a half hour to St. Vincent de Paul Louisville several times a week to sort and size donated clothing and shoes at the Clothes Closet for clients in need. He volunteers 15 to 20 hours a week. He’s on campus even longer in the weeks leading up to the Santa Shop to make sure all of the toys are well-organized.
At 86-years-old, Carmony doesn’t let age stop him from serving.
“When I wake up in the morning, before I move, I say, ‘OK. When I move, what’s going to hurt?’” Carmony said.
Nor the weather.
“If it’s raining, I bring my umbrella,” Carmony added.
Donna Young, Director of Conference Affairs & Volunteer Services, said “‘The General,’ aka Paul Carmony, is a man that lives his value by helping others. Paul, like the U.S. Postal System, can be found rain, sleet, snow, or 100 degrees in his garage.”
Carmony was born and raised in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, where his dad was an underground coal miner.
“If anyone needed any kind of help in that coal mining town, people always stepped up to help them out,” Carmony said. “So I guess that background has stayed with me.”
Carmony, who has three children and three grandchildren, retired from Humana in 1998. He wanted to make the second half of his life count and decided to spend his time volunteering rather than vacationing.
In fact, Carmony traveled all over the world to fish. He had been there and done that.
“I know several people who are retired and simply vacation all over the place,” Carmony said. “I didn’t want to stay around the house and do nothing. I just simply do not want to waste the time God has given me.”
In 1999, a family friend invited Carmony to volunteer on campus.
When Carmony began, the donated clothes were just thrown on a table for clients to take and the garage “was just a garage.”
“Paul saw potential there. That garage wasn’t what it is today. He has done wonders with it,” said Tom and Ann Bizzell, Vincentians of the St. Edward Conference.
Carmony had shelves put in the garage to hang clothes and restructured the Clothes Closet.
“I put tags on all the clothes for the size so that when people come into the Clothes Closet they don’t have to try to look to see what the size is,” Carmony said.
Though it seems simple to sort and size clothes and shoes, Carmony’s service has been significant to SVDP’s mission to support those in need with compassion and dignity.
The garage was named “Paul’s Garage” in his honor.
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