For Jonas Reynolds, service begins with the people who need it most

Before dawn on a January morning in Laos, Jonas Reynolds stepped into a hospital with a laptop, phone and a mission far bigger than observation. Following 20 hours of flights across 4 airports and as many countries, he got to work almost immediately upon landing.

As a trained hospital assessor for Project C.U.R.E., he spent two full days walking ward by ward through the children’s and provincial hospitals in Laos’s Luang Prabang province, documenting equipment, identifying urgent needs and building the detailed report that would determine what lifesaving supplies should be sent next.

The work was rigorous and highly specific. Jonas spoke with clinicians and administrators, reviewed everything from inpatient care areas to pediatric services and helped evaluate the realities behind the request for aid: How many people the hospital serves, what conditions are most common, which tools are missing and which upgrades would make the greatest difference.

As Jonas put it, the purpose was simple: “Getting the right equipment to the right place.” That mindset shaped every step of the assessment and reflected the care behind the work. In a setting where resources are limited and the stakes are high, he was there to make sure the next shipment would be not only generous but genuinely useful.

But this was not the work that Wipfli sent him to do. Although the nonprofit Project C.U.R.E is a cornerstone Wipfli client, Jonas’ work in Laos was strictly a volunteer effort completed on his own time. While Wipfli associates in the firm’s nonprofit practice generally have a strong drive to help people in need, Jonas’ commitment is next level.

In his day job, he relies on his technical skills to implement data-driven process improvements across Project C.U.R.E.’s operations and other nonprofit clients of Wipfli. But from the time he heard about the organization that delivers life-saving resources to hospitals and clinics in underserved communities around the world, the Wipfli manager knew he wanted to do more.

Within weeks of connecting with Project C.U.R.E. as a client, Jonas began volunteering in their Centennial, Colo., warehouse about an hour from his home. About once a month, he takes a shift sorting through donated medical devices and supplies. The connections and camaraderie he found there inspired him to increase his volunteerism to serve the organization in Laos. And he expects to go to Ghana on a similar volunteer mission by the end of the year.

A value-driven approach to service

Jonas came to Wipfli three years ago with a professional background in humanitarian response and nonprofit operations, including prior work with the disaster relief organization Team Rubicon (also a Wipfli client) and military service in the Army, including three deployments to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom in the mid-2000s. Those experiences have prepared him to navigate unfamiliar environments, solve problems under pressure and work respectfully across cultures.

They also shaped the way he sees service. “I just enjoy helping people,” he said, a simple statement that helps explain the consistency between his professional work, his volunteerism and the way he shows up for others.

Project C.U.R.E. delivers customized cargo containers of donated medical supplies and equipment to hospitals and clinics in more than 135 countries. Each container serves an average of 50,000 people, with hundreds of containers sent each year to the world’s most in-need areas.

That is why hospital assessments like the one Jonas completed in Laos matter so much. Before a shipment is sent, assessors help verify the needs, capabilities and realities on the ground so that every delivery is purposeful, usable and impactful. In that way, Jonas’s volunteer work connects directly to the integrity and stewardship that define Project C.U.R.E.’s approach.

(From right) Jonas, his interpreter and another hospital assessor, work intently to identify the life-saving supplies most needed at a surgical ward in Laos.

The human impact behind the work

Fully aware of the need to avoid conflicts of interest by keeping his volunteer and professional roles separate, Jonas finds ways to help Project C.U.R.E in ways that have nothing to do with billable work. “I’ve always been good at separating my work from my personal time,” he said. “But this is a case where I’m able to do good work in both spaces.”

As a passionate volunteer, he is something of an evangelist for the firm’s annual Community Day efforts by gathering at least a dozen Colorado colleagues in the Project C.U.R.E warehouse for sorting, categorizing and packing supplies, everything from catheters and stethoscopes to saline packs.

Jonas appreciates the enthusiastic support he’s received for his international hospital assessment work. “There’s nothing like working in a place that supports doing good work and doing good in the community.”

Kathleen DuBois, industry leader for Wipfli’s nonprofit, government and education practice, attests to Jonas’ invaluable contributions. “What sets Jonas apart is the calm confidence he brings to everything he does, whether he’s volunteering his time or serving Project C.U.R.E. as a client — it makes him an incredible collaborator and exactly the kind of team member who brings our values to life.”

When values lead the work

At the heart of it all is care — not as an abstract value, but as something Jonas puts into action. He cares enough to spend long days in unfamiliar hospitals so the next shipment is truly useful. He cares enough to help a nonprofit strengthen the systems behind its mission. And he cares enough to believe that the best work happens when expertise and empathy move together.

Reflecting on his work with Project C.U.R.E., Jonas summed it up this way: “It’s cool to be able to see the impact from beginning to end.” His story is a reminder that living our values is not only about what we say matters; it is about what we do when our skills, our time and our purpose align.