Making Headlines

The MDRT Foundation's 50th Anniversary Community Service Project in Indianapolis made headlines with a story in the local paper. Check out the article, which includes a photo, and an interview with MDRT Foundation Past President and 50th Anniversary Community Service Project leader John Marshall Lee.

http://www.flyergroup.com/local/local_story_125090917.html

DAY SIX: DEDICATION DAY

All that starts well, ends well.

Friday, May 1, 2009, marked the end of the MDRT Foundation's five-day 50th anniversary community service project in Indianapolis, Indiana. All the hard work the volunteers put into building three Habitat for Humanity homes, building a Kids Around the World playground, and cleaning and painting Bradford Woods Campgrounds for Camp Riley summer camp was worth it.

The rain we've had all week continued on Friday, but luckily, it took a little break during the dedication ceremony at the playground at the West Morris Street Free Methodist Church, and the sun was shining down during the special outdoor dedication ceremony.

MDRT Foundation Past President and community service project leader John Marshall Lee served as master of ceremonies at the dedication and led the crowd in a Happy Birthday song to the Foundation. Dedication speakers included: MDRT Foundation President Sally Munford, Kids Around the World President Jim Rosene, Riley Children's Foundation Vice President of Marketing and Communications Maureen Manier, One America CEO Dayton Molendorp, UNIFI representative and MDRT member Robelynn Abadie, West Indianapolis Development Corporation Program Manager D. Gaither, and West Morris Street Free Methodist Church reverend John Hay Jr. Habitat for Humanity of Greater Indianapolis also spoke and the homeowners of the new Habitat home gave an emotional thank you to the crowd.

One of the local newspapers came to cover the festivities, and the dedication ceremony ended with Sally Munford cutting the yellow ribbon, along with all the project partners, and officially opening the new playground built by the volunteers. The preschool children then literally swarmed onto the playground, running as fast as they could to get onto the new equipment.

Thank you to all the project sponsors, project leaders and, most importantly, all the volunteers on this important project. Your hard work now makes it possible for families to have roofs over their heads, children to have a fun and safe place to play, and children with disabilities to experience unbelievable memories for a lifetime at camp -- something that would not be possible without your hard work this week.

It was a difficult, yet rewarding week for everyone. While all the volunteers went home with muddy shoes, dirt-covered pants and sore arms and shoulders, they all went home with new friends, new experiences and a new found love in their hearts.

Happy Birthday, MDRT Foundation...Here's to 50 more years!

DAY FIVE: BACK TO WORK

The team went back to work after the free evening last night. The memory of the Riley Hospital tour added motivation to the team members who again faced rain and mud. With one home at completion and the other two with roofs and windows, the team has made amazing progress in just a few short days.

The playground team completed their project after pouring cement and spreading two full truckloads of mulch. They took great satisfaction in the colorful structure; knowing the hundreds of children who will receive joy from it.

The Camp Riley team was at Bradford Woods completing the painting of cabins that will be full of smiling faces in just a few short weeks. They take great pride in their work and have become a very close team. They also were involved with the trails that are being created which will lead to the multi-purpose sports court being funded by the MDRT Foundation.

The evening concluded with a special banquet hosted by our friends at the Riley Children's Foundation. During this special evening, the team saw an artist's rendition of what the completed sports pavilion will look like. Then, as a special surprise, MDRT Foundation President Sally Munford and one of the Riley campers unveiled the dedication sign that will be placed at the pavilion. The sign announced the Jerry D. Semler/MDRT Foundation Sports Pavilion. The sign was named for Jerry Semler because of all that he has meant to MDRT, the MDRT Foundation and countless charities in the state of Indiana. Jerry was overwhelmed with emotion at the gesture, as was much of the team. It was a special ending to a special day...and a fitting tribute to a very special man.

Tomorrow is the dedication ceremony for our trio of projects. It is the day we have all been waiting for, but, sadly, also represents the day that the team says goodbye to one another. The good news is that, in only six weeks, we will all be back in Indianapolis for the MDRT Annual Meeting!

DAY FOUR: THE REAL REASON WE ARE HERE

Greeted by more rain in the morning, the team had breakfast and got an early start at the project sites. They worked for only half the day today and, while much was accomplished, the work was not the focus of the day. As the sun began to peek out the team cleaned up and headed to the James Whitcomb Riley Children's Hospital. As one of our project partners, Riley Hospital has long held a special place in the hearts of MDRT Foundation donors. Today, our team got to see exactly why.

We started by gathering to hear the story of Elizabeth. She was diagnosed with a large brain tumor and was treated at Riley Hospital. We learned that her goal is to sponsor a room in the new hospital tower so that other kids can have a comfortable place while they are at the hospital. Her goal is $100,000 and she only needs $40,000 more to reach it.

While part of the team took a hospital tour, the rest of the team members served as volunteers for a carnival in the hospital. Serving at craft tables and running games, the team got to share time with the wonderful children that are being served by the hospital. It is truly amazing to see the smiles and hope in the eyes of these precious kids who are dealing with so much. The interior of this part of the hospital looks like anything but a standard hospital. Filled with stuffed animals, a wishing pond and a feeling of being outdoors, it is warm and inviting for all who enter.

After sharing these special moments and talking with doctors about the life-saving breakthroughs happening at the hospital, the team headed to downtown Indianapolis for a free night and a chance to explore the city that will host the MDRT Annual Meeting in only six weeks. It was a perfect end to a perfect day. Tomorrow we will finish all of our projects and prepare for the dedication of the sites on Friday.

DAY THREE: NOT RAIN NOR SNOW NOR DEAD OF NIGHT...

Okay, maybe not the snow part, but the rain and darkness greeted the team this morning. While you would think that this would put the volunteers in a negative mood, it was quite the opposite. They were anxious to get to their work sites to continue the tremendous progress of the previous day:

Camp Riley Team

By MDRT and MDRT Foundation Past President Gene L. Mahn, CLU, ChFC:

The attractive facilities at Bradford Woods (home of Camp Riley) were made even more beautiful by MDRT members and other volunteers. The exterior of two of the larger cabins were painted Monday. When the rains came today we moved indoors and completely painted four bathrooms in three different cabins. Participating in the project were Kathleen Benjamin, Mary Jean West, Chris Ryerson, Troy Moore, Gil Haggart, Don Lawson, Roger Seim, Larry Fortenberry and myself.

With hundreds of campers due to come to camp in the coming weeks, our work is meaningful and will serve many, many disabled children.

Playground Team

The team continued to build the main playground structure and also began building the swings and perimeter of the playground area. Then the mulch came...a full truckload. Pitchforks and wheelbarrows became the order of the day as the team beagan to spread the mulch in anticipation of the cement deliver and another full truckload of mulch due tomorrow. Tired, wet, but full of pride, the team has the end in sight and can already begin to picture the smiles of the children who will be taking over the playground on Friday.

Habitat Team

In the mud and the muck, the volunteers continued their work on three homes. Working side by side with the future owners of the homes, the roof trusses were completed and the roofing panels are being installed. The building has become somewhat of a friendly "race" between two of the teams. The team at the third home (which is nearing completion) are expecting sod and landscaping over the next couple of days. The homes are the largest of the projects and utilizes the largest team. All are deeply committed and take great pride in the quality of the work that they are doing; knowing that it will serve three special families and their children for years to come.

Day Two: The Work Begins

Waking to a forecast of clear weather and temperatures in the 80s has added to the excitement of the team. After an early breakfast, the two MDRT Foundation teams: Team UNIFI (the Red Team) and Team OneAmerica (The Blue Team) separate among our three project sites.

The playground volunteers started with a dirt patch with post holes dug and, by the end of the day had completed most of the playground structure. Each volunteer quickly took on assembly and digging assignments and it was as if they had been doing this for years. The before and after photos of this first build day speak for themselves.

The Habitat team took two lots that were nothing but concrete slabs and completed the outer walls, interior wall framing and most of the roof trusses. They worked very hard assembling framing, lifting walls and literally "raising the roof". They have made a strong first impression with our build leaders from Habitat.

Our Camp Riley team spent the day painting cabins that will be used by campers this Summer. With the beautiful backdrop of Bradford Woods, they began the first of their assignments and will progress to creating trails for the new accessible sports court that is being funded by the MDRT Foundation.

The end of this eventful day had all volunteers coming together to share dinner and stories. They then gathered in the Bradford Woods outdoor amphitheater and were entertained by the improv comedy team, Comedy Sportz Indianapolis (http://www.indycomedysportz.com/), who graciously volunteered their time as a thank you for the work being done by the volunteers. Three members of Comedy Sportz played improv games (similar to the television show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?") and utilized members of our team in their activities. What a great opportunity to laugh at, I mean with, fellow team members! For those that have the opportunity during the MDRT Annual Meeting, Comedy Sportz would be a great place to stop and catch a show. The evening closed around a campfire as the volunteers made s'mores.

Tomorrow is another full day of work at all three sites. With rain expected, the team is unphased and ready to take on the work at hand, knowing that the lives to be touched are far more important than a little rain.

DAY ONE: The Team Arrives!

Sixty-eight people from across the United States and as far away as the United Kingdom and Belgium converged on the Indianapolis area today...not for a vacation, not for business...they came for the sole purpose of changing lives. Sixty-eight people who have left their families and businesses to build homes for deserving families, create a playground that will bring a sense of community to a neighborhood and an abundance of joy to its children, and to help prepare a campground for the 600+ children being served by the Riley Children's Hospital that will attend camp there this Summer. Sixty-eight people who will act as one to leave a lasting legacy in Indianapolis. Long after the MDRT Annual Meeting, being hosted by Indianapolis, Indiana this June, has ended, these projects will continue to serve countless children and families in this remarkable city.

We are grateful to these dedicated volunteers, and to our lead corporate partners for this 50th anniversary service project: OneAmerica and UNIFI Companies. We also thank Prudential Financial for sponsoring our opening dinner and orientation.

Sixty-eight people, representing the over 35,000 members of the Million Dollar Round Table from around the globe. Tomorrow the life-changing work begins...but by the looks of anticipation on the faces of the team, it already has.