The Honda Philosophy has been a part of Lance Peterson since before his career at Honda R&D Americas (HRA) even began.

Honda strives to be a company that society wants to exist, and the Honda R&D Citizenship Award recognizes associates that actively promote this mission. But for Peterson, the 2017 award recipient, that philosophy was ingrained in him early on.

Peterson has served his community for as long as he can remember, taking after his mother who he says spent much of her time helping others. Learning as a child that his name meant “servant,” Peterson said he always felt a responsibility to the community. As a young man, he would sneak around and commit random acts of kindness, such as leaving soup on doorsteps, in an effort to make his own positive impact in the world.

“I found that most of what really makes a change are the small things that people don’t usually consider,” said Peterson, a Prototype Management associate.

As he grew older, Peterson joined the Boy Scouts of America, where he quickly discovered his passion. After completing the highest level of the Boy Scouts and going on a two-year church mission, he returned to his local troop and became a scout leader, serving in various positions and units ever since.

In addition, he began volunteering more than a decade ago on the Citizen Corps, a program that equips people with skills in emergency response. Once the chair for his county chapter, his responsibilities included Neighborhood Watch and Medical Reserve Corps. He later discovered that he liked teaching others, so he became the Community Emergency Response Team’s (CERT) program manager. In that role, he helps train citizens in caring for themselves and others in the event of a disaster when first responders and resources are scarce. This training includes disaster medical assistance, fire suppression, and light search and rescue.

When Peterson joined Honda in May of 1992, he was excited to become part of a company that shared his same vision for making positive change.

“It was a perfect fit for someone like me,” he explained. “My personal goal at work is to encourage everybody I come into contact with to enjoy coming to work as much as I do.”

As a resource coordinator in D-Adm, Peterson said that his position shares many similarities with his volunteer involvement.

“My title is not the extent of what I really do,” he said. “My motto has always been ‘see a need, fill a need,’ and that is also true of what I do in the community.”

“As a part of his HRA Citizenship Award, Peterson will have the opportunity to select a nonprofit of his choice—in this case, the Tecumseh Boy Scouts Council in Springfield, Ohio—to receive a $2,500 donation to support their mission.

“I’m very humbled by this recognition,” Peterson admitted. “There are a lot of people here that do as much if not more than I do, so I really appreciate this recognition and the opportunity to share my experience.”

Peterson hopes that his story will inspire his fellow associates and help them discover their own passions, both at work and in the community—all toward continuing to make Honda a company that society wants to exist.