Marine Corps veteran William Hansen, first started with S.O.TECH as a sewing machine operator for the Green Vets LA program. Bill not only motivated his teammates but eventually stood in front of CEO’s and program coordinators in a sharp suit handing printouts of his marketing plan that he had recently created. He offered a great proposal, but everyone in the room felt excited for a bigger reason – Bill’s leadership.
The Green Vets project started out with six patients and a desire to help those who served and sacrificed for their community. Bill having been both inspired by the program, and having motivated his teammates, set his sights on spreading the word in the community by marketing the green initiative. Stricken with pancreatic cancer, Bill withdrew from the initiative so he could focus his strength on defeating his illness. Guided by his vision, the crew of veterans proceeded and is now making thousands of reusable bags. Like any military squad, the Green Vets team has supported Bill in the hospital.
Bill received the news from his hospital bed about the success Heal the Bay had been having in getting local municipalities to ban plastic bags. He heard about the bags he had envisioned now being offered by Heal the Bay to its most important donors. A conversation Bill and I had in his hospital room during his cancer treatments speaks volumes about his ongoing courage and strength. At a moment when most people would lament their fate and complain about their struggles
with pain, Bill set forth his plan to beat the illness. He would get back to Green Vets LA, and re-start his marketing plan with the Santa Monica Bag Ban and Heal the Bay’s campaign.
Bill is survived by his wife Carla, his son Cody, and his step children Jamal, Yasmin, and Ayja.
-Jim Cragg
S.O.Tech
