Lamarious Whetstone knows from experience that, at some point in life, many people can use a “hand up” – not a handout.

He knows, too, that young people in their formative years need real caring and advice. That’s why Whetstone joins hundreds of volunteers in the Southern Division Chapter of the Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO) in volunteering: to be that person who reaches out to others in a time of need.

When he joined Alabama Power 11 years ago, Whetstone saw volunteering with Southern Division APSO – working with like-minded employees – as a way of giving back. Now, as a lead lineman and Southern Division APSO president, he encourages all employees to volunteer in their communities.

“It’s so pleasing to let people in the public see us in a different light,” said Whetstone, who works from the Montgomery Crew Headquarters. “With volunteering, it’s our chance to see and talk to people in the community, and really give them a first-hand view of what we do each and every day.”

Alabama Power lineman Lamarious Whetstone loves giving back to his community from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

Whenever possible, Whetstone helps the Boys and Girls Clubs of the River Region. The mission is personal:  The eldest of four children growing up, Whetstone saw the difficulties his single mother faced in trying to raise the family. She had to move a lot because of job circumstances.

“We might have had a job here, and moved here, or we had to leave this home and move to another home … it was just one of those situations,” said Whetstone, who spent his early years in the rural town of Goodwater, in Coosa County. “Mother had us four – she had me when she was 16, so it was just one of those things where she was trying to raise a child and figure it out for herself. Now, I look at it as just one adventure after another.”

As a youngster, Whetstone greatly benefited from the Boys and Girls Club, a large motivation in his giving back.

“I was taught by my grandparents that that is our purpose here in life, and that’s to be of service,” Whetstone said. “I try to embody those ideals. I embody that part of what I do each and every day, not just through Southern Division APSO but through church and through the Boys and Girls Club, or through the YMCA, whatever it is that can make life better for somebody else.”

Whetstone and his wife, Shemika (center), have four daughters. (Lamarious Whetstone)

In May, Whetstone and other Southern Division APSO members made the 32^nd annual Charity Golf Tournament at Wynlakes Golf and Country Club in Montgomery a big success. They raised $35,000 for projects that will improve children’s lives.

“The Boys and Girls Club was one of my biggest things growing up, because when we moved, it was an escape from everyday life,” he said. “You meet a lot of different people from different backgrounds. It was an escape from going home and not knowing what the day was going to be like.”

There, Whetstone found valuable mentors and enduring friendships.

“They were just there to listen, and they were giving the best advice they could,” he said. “Just about life in general. … “You can do either one of two things: You’re either going to sink or swim. For kids, that seems kind of harsh, but as you grow up, it truly stood out. The ‘sinking’ part – you can let it take you to places you don’t want to go. You can let it take you downhill, and just dwell on things all day, or you can swim. You can take it a day at a time, you know, make the most of it, but each day, try to make each day better than the last.”

Whetstone (right) encourages others to serve. (Southern Division APSO)

Whetstone found sanctuary in youth basketball and other sports. Learning to play from his coaches – ranging from peewee basketball to high school sports – he came away with important life lessons.

“I had a lot of inspirational people step in, being those father figures to a lot of kids and trying to keep us on the right path, out of trouble,” Whetstone said. “They just gave us hope there is something bigger out there – there is a bigger future. There’s a better place than where we were at, at the time.”

The past doesn’t determine your future

Whetstone wants to sow good things into the lives of youngsters who might not get the easiest start.

For instance, he coaches kids ages 5-18 on a summer track team in Montgomery. When two of his daughters were younger, he and his wife took them to the Cleveland Avenue Boys and Girls Club, which has since closed. That’s how Whetstone met Darryl Woods, director of the YMCA of Greater Montgomery Track and Field Dream Team, who asked him to help coach. Whetstone attended a coaching clinic and got more involved.

Whetstone (left) is a true servant leader. (Southern Division APSO)

“I kind of picked it up and ran with it, and I’ve been coaching for about 10 years now,” he said.

Each summer, the team starts with more than 100 children, who practice and qualify for district and regional meets, all the way through the Junior Olympics in August. By the end of the season, about 50-plus kids remain. It’s a great source of pride to Whetstone that, for most years, at least one of the club’s senior athletes received a scholarship offer.

“I try to apply those things that were taught to me to those kids during the summer track club,” said Whetstone, who played nearly every sport at Central High School of Coosa County in Hanover, Alabama. “It’s amazing to see those kids grow up, and then as they grow and develop, go off to school, they still come back and be so thankful and appreciative of the things you taught them. All I ask of them is to do the same thing when their time comes.”

Last March, Whetstone led Southern Division APSO members in a Go Kickball League tournament to benefit Brantwood Children’s Home, a Montgomery nonprofit that provides a safe environment for abused, neglected and other at-risk children, ages 10-21.

Sharing his sports talents at the Brantwood Children’s Home fundraiser came naturally to Whetstone. (Southern Division APSO)

“It’s a world away from everywhere,” Whetstone said, “and people need to know that they’re cared about.”

During the Brantwood event, APSO members played kickball and helped with a variety of kids’ activities during the games. The event earned $13,000, said Brantwood Executive Director Gerald Jones, noting, “The fundraisers help earn the money that cares for kids in foster care today.”   

Carving a niche at Alabama Power

After high school graduation, Whetstone studied for about two years at a technical college that ended up closing. While that was an early disappointment, Whetstone observed, “I guess God had other plans for me.”

Before joining Alabama Power, Whetstone served honorably in the U.S. Air Force. (Lamarious Whetstone)

He served in the U.S. Air Force and was honorably discharged, and later worked at Russell Corp., now an athletic brand under the Fruit of the Loom corporate umbrella. Whetstone got a job at Alabama Power in August 2011 as a line crew auxiliary. He works on a Montgomery Power Delivery line crew, where he moved through the ranks to become a lead lineman. 

Whetstone greatly enjoys his job and helps teach the younger line crew employees about working safely.

“It’s an opportunity to give back what’s been given to me,” Whetstone said. “We all had to be taught this job and learn it, and all of us had help along the way. Sometimes I take it upon myself to teach the younger guys and try to keep them abreast of the dangers of the job, and also the importance of the job.

“The benefits are far beyond just getting the lights back on – people are truly appreciative,” he added. “It gives me a different outlook, and I hope others see it in the same light and see it as an opportunity to give back to the community they serve.”

To learn more about Alabama Power employee and retiree volunteerism, click here.