The ManKind Project(tm) . Missions of Service

Kentucky, USA -2006 Ron Hering Award Winner

Name: Harold Cates
Personal Mission: “To help men and women reach new levels of consciousness by boldly modeling the way. ”

Action in the World: Harold has been boldly modeling the way for many years. Coming from a working class family, Harold served in a MASH Unit in the US Army, and continued as a reservist while attending the University of Louisville. Harold graduated with a double major in marketing and management and went to work for IBM. By age 40 Harold’s career with IBM and subsequent move to real estate had created wealth and prestige; however, rather than continue to ‘climb the ladder,’ Harold chose to drop out of the rat race, bought a piece of land and moved to the country to reconnect with his heart. He joined a men’s therapy group and was the first man in Louisville area to attend the New Warrior Training Adventure.

During his 7 years living in the country, Harold supported the growth of Louisville’s fledgling MKP Center, and “learned how to stop and be in my heart.” During this same time, Harold actively fostered and participated in a group called Home Church – a unique faith community that provides services and support directly in its member’s homes. Harold’s vision of building a retreat center on his land came true when he chose to move back to Louisville and sold his property to a faith based community which then created a state of the art facility. Harold just stepped down after a total of 4 years at the helm of MKP – KY as center director/ president. As a result of his contributions, the community has solidified a structure and process for effectively moving into the future. Similarly, after 20 years of participation, he has helped reorganized the structure of his Home Church community for its continued effectiveness and service to it’s membership. Harold also continues his participation in a mixed circle of initiated men and women who choose to create sacred space for the two genders to support each other in their work.

Now that he will have more time on his hands, Harold is working on completing a book chronicling his journey. The title - Coming Out of the Woods to Knowing and Loving Yourself – serves not only to capture the essence of his personal experience, it accurately reflects the mentoring and modeling he chooses each day. Of all the mission-focused work Harold has chosen to step into over the years, some of the most profound impacts have been on the most personal level. At any given time, Harold has 10-15 individuals he’s personally mentoring. So it might just all come down to his personal philosophy that “we teach what we most need to learn.” When asked what he’s most needed to learn, Harold smiles and says, “It’s not about me. It’s about growing.”

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