Jack Storm, president of WS Energy Services, recently made a charitable donation to Israel of an ambulance—one that will soon be transported overseas to emergency caregivers at Magen David Adom (Red Shield of David) in Israel. Storm said he has long desired to extend this gift, and he maintained his commitment through tough industry times when it seemed his company might be shut down. But they persevered, and on April 4 of this year, the ambulance was dedicated in a ceremony at WS Energy headquarters, in Robstown Texas, just outside Corpus Christi. WS Energy drills and sets up production oil wells.
Said Storm: “I never grew up around Jewish people. The only ones I ‘knew’ were [the ones who were depicted] in the Bible.”
But then in 2011, he traveled to Israel for the first time, and everything changed. “A love for the Jewish people hit my heart,” Storm said. “I developed a huge caring and love for these great people, the apple of God’s eye.”
He considered several organizations to support in Israel and finally landed on giving to Magen David Adom. While mandated to provide emergency medical services by the Israeli government, Magen David Adom is funded largely by donor dollars. Even the emergency medical workforce is primarily volunteer — 32,000 paramedics, EMTs, and first responders serve volunteer shifts.
Jack and his sons — Cooper, Porter, and Preston — all run the company, and they have stayed committed to supporting Magen David Adom even when times have been hard.
“Back in 2015, the bottom dropped out of the oil market,” he said. “Oil prices plummeted, and money got real tight. We were washing and re-using our gloves, which get really dirty in the oil field. It was a wake-up call for my sons.”
In spite of the lean times, Jack refused to give up on sending checks to support Magen David Adom’s lifesaving work.
“We wanted to be good stewards and help the Jewish people,” Storm said. “My accountant probably thought I lost my mind!”
Isabel Palacios serves as treasurer for WS Energy Services and is one of the company’s longest-tenured employees at 28 years. She has seen the ups and downs, and she has seen firsthand the sacrifices made to support Israel and Magen David Adom.
“Jack is a good steward of what he has been given,” she said. “He would take the shirt off his back to help anyone.”
To learn more about Magen David Adom, visit SavingLivesInIsrael.org.
Jack Storm with the ambulance that his company, WS Energy Services, donated to Israel
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