Remembering Chardie

This is my little buddy Richard. We all called him “Chardie.” Everyone in the Philippines has a nickname.

Chardie came to work for me well over a decade ago. He was one of our first employees at our second campus. I fell in love with him immediately. He wasn’t just an employee, he became family. Everyone loved Chardie. He was just such a sweet, caring, kind and gentle soul. The kind of guy that would give the shirt off of his back to help out a friend or even a stranger for that matter.

There was someone else that fell in love with Chardie and that was Irene. Irene joined my executive team, she too became family and is still with me and is a part of my inner circle to this day.

Time passed, they married, had a baby, I was so happy for them. Watching them build a family and know that our company was a part of that makes me proud. One thing that I have noticed over the years having a business in the Philippines is that all Filipinos have stories of joy, but they also have stories of tragedy. And those stories are gut wrenching. For those of you who have been to the Philippines, you know that life can be hard.

Chardie passed away yesterday. He had a heart attack at the age of 32, he had an enlarged heart. I guess it was so big, that it just couldn’t go on.

I am beside myself. I feel like I’ve lost a family member. I am completely devastated for Irene, for their family, and for our family at 123Employee.

We have put this GoFundMe together to help out Irene and her family. We would appreciate any contribution that you can make. Your money goes a long way in the Philippines. Thank you so much.