Category Archives: Community outreach

The Lady in Red.

01 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by in Community outreach, military tributes, Servant Leadership

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Last year while training for my first half marathon, I fractured my hip. Yes, I am such an uncoordinated runner that I broke myself merely training. In all honesty, in my mind I am that mime of a sleek gazelle of a woman running with fluid ease, when in truth I am sure I look like a person having a seizure and half expect the on site medical staff to run to my aid confident that I must be in distress  after all, I  look – well- awkward.  But I love to run. I am not good at it. My body giggles.  My feet hurt. And on a day that is cold like today, the screws in my hip ache and my lungs wheeze.

All said- I still love to run. More importantly, I love to think of myself as a runner.

Today- I was running with a purpose; two in fact. As a board member for McHenry County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) I am grateful to Mike Splitt having the brilliant idea to organize a Santa Run for Children charities. Last year, the inaugural year, the race attracted over 770 runners. This year, nearly a 1,000 runners. Not bad for a Sunday afternoon in December.  CASA is one of the organizations that benefit from the funds raised for the privilege of wearing a thin Santa suit and running in the cold.

This year, I was also running for Curtis M. Fike.  Curtis was a Marine. He served three combat deployments in 4 years. He left the Marines and was recalled a year and a half later for his 4th deployment before succumbing to the torment of an undiagnosed TBI and PTSD. He ended his pain and began a new journey for his loved ones on Jan 3, 2012.

He sent his sister a text saying he was sorry. He left a note to his family apologizing for doing something so stupid.  But he could not see his way out of the pain and more importantly- he had lost hope for a normal healthy life.  Curtis went from being a happy, young athlete with a breathtaking smile to a combat veteran who was prone to angry outbursts and road rage. He felt unsupported by the VA personnel who are prone to use pharmaceuticals as their go to tool.  One of the young men I talk with explained the dichotomy this way- the Military knows how to turn you from an individual to part of a unit. They just are not as good at re-individuating that same veteran. I did not know Curtis.  I don’t know his family. I learned who he was on pages of heartfelt tributes and various news articles. He was well loved and loved well.

Keri Jacobs created a community of runners a few years ago- running to raise awareness that veterans are committing suicide at the rate of 22 per day, To raise awareness of this epidemic.

I ran the Santa Run with a picture of Curtis on my back lovingly framed by the words 22 TOO MANY and Never Forgotten.

I saw the looks on people’s faces as they read the placards worn by my 6 friends. Six other veterans lost to suicide.  There are stories for many, many more. You may be asking yourself- so what? You wear some kid you don’t know- people feel sad- nothing changes. This is what changed for me. I now feel I know Curtis. He kept me company for 3.16 miles on my first race post surgery. I was scared and worried I couldn’t finish. I had not been training. In preparing for the race I found I gave up easily. I was afraid. Afraid I would hurt myself. Again.

But how do I not keep going when running with Curtis.  I thought- shit, this is NOTHING compared to back to back deployments.  What am I complaining about?  I spent the afternoon reading about the legacy that Curtis left- people who loved him, people who were touched by him, and the changes to the way that Veterans are treated at the center that was unable to light his way out of the darkness. Curtis’s legacy is now the light for those who follow.  Wearing his image kept me going. So, to me, it made a difference. And each time I tell someone about why I run and for whom, it will make difference.  My father always said- you have to suit up, show up and pick up the rope. We all have our load to bear.  We don’t have to be a superhero to change the world. We just need to be present.  Happy Sunday. Thanks, Curtis for running with me today- my load was much lighter with you with me

If you want to learn more about the mission of 22 Too Many- check out their facebook.  Or to learn about Curtis, follow this link. http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/news/local/ohio-seeing-dramatic-increase-of-ptsd-cases-1/nPSfh/

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Preparing for Veterans Day

07 Thursday Nov 2013

Posted by in Community outreach, military tributes, Servant Leadership, Uncategorized

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I had the blessing of listening to a conversation between two students last night. They are 25 & 26 years old young men who are confident and at ease in their skins albeit quick with the snark and dark humor. They are both dual theater combat veterans. The conversation was casual- fluid and had an ease of two people who share a secret. A Combat Engineer and an Infantrymen,  both men who had to make a choice on their license plate of whether to say Iraq or Afghanistan. They likely chuckled at how few people realize they are not the same war. Casually, laughingly, they banter back and forth about life in a war zone. They compare the differences between the two different wars;  the lessons learned as you acclimated to life in a war zone. They joke about how Fobbits- (those who spent their war on a Forward Operating Base with schedule chow times, hot showers and the internet) -always say, “My job was kinda like the infantry.” The laughter that follows carries an edge. Yeah, its kinda like comparing a Marshmallow to a brick, they’re both rectangles. 
 Their war wasn’t spent on the FOB but outside the wire.
They laughingly talked about how route clearance patrol was the worse duty- miming the bug eyed look out the window as you slowly roll through the streets of Iraq looking for IEDS- having to get out and investigate each “suspicious” pile of garbage in a country filled with suspicious piles of garbage.  “Just shoot it until it blows up. What? That’s what I did.” the Combat Engineer laughs…. until of course the rules changed and you were no longer able to shoot your weapon without being fired upon first.  Someone might get hurt.
“You know, you just get up on it and go in real low,” he says, miming out the deep knee squat with an arm extended, pretending to poke something with a stick, “because you know going in low made all the difference.” He laughs sarcastically. Nothing like being a shrapnel magnet.
“Yeah, those days sucked.” says the Infantryman looking over at me. “We had to wait for those guys. We rolled out behind the engineers, rolling out real slow….talk about being stressed out. Your just waiting for something to happen. Not if, fucking when.  Just staring, up on the glass looking around. … sucked.”
The conversation evolved into explaining to me the various devices invented by soldiers trying to stay alive- things that would jam cell phone signals to stop bomb detonation. “Talk about a pucker. When your rolling down the road and look at that light as it goes from green to yellow. Fuck that.”
Then calmly explaining that meant the jammer was actually doing its job, meaning there was a bomb trying to go off. Or how another device was developed  when the enemies tactics evolved to inflict more damage  by detonating when the cab was over it- improving its ability to be lethal versus just disabling the vehicle. They share a common disdain for those making money off the war and a frustration with the “Support our Veterans” window dressing that comes with the upcoming holiday.
And most important, they share a pride in their service.
They just want people to get it.
Less than 1% of the population raises that hand in oath to defend the Constitution. Think about that for a minute – these young men and women who were willing to raise their hand, leave their homes and fight a fight they didn’t start. I follow the news and recognize a war weary nation. A nation now wondering if Veterans get too many benefits. Wondering if they are rewarded too much for doing their jobs. After all, they weren’t drafted, they volunteered.
To those individuals I say, “Bite me.”
Where was this concern in the beginning?  When the country was in the rabid post 9/11 days wanting vengeance? You wrote the check. Now it is time to cash it.
On this upcoming Veteran’s Day- amidst the furniture and car sales and the household chores you are able to do on your day off- I ask you to remember those who sacrificed for this day. They are no longer only those stoic old men talking about battles long ago. They are young men and women who sacrificed their youth. Gave up the freedom to avoid dangerous situations. The Freedom to say “Are you friggin’ crazy- those people are shooting out there, I don’t want to go.” They sacrificed the giggle of their kids, the warmth of their loved ones arms, the ease of sleeping in, the choice of what to do with their day, the ability to quit their job because it sucks, the right to decide where they want to live, the right to a warrant before search of their home, car or person, the right to protest or talk to the press, the freedom to decide to grow their hair long or decide what to wear to work.
The every day freedoms that we often do not even think about because they are so innate are the same things the military forgoes when they raise their hand and take an oath to defend the Constitution.  And now, they face a country that is afraid of their unseen wounds. A country that can’t see how the skills of staying alive on a battle field convert to the civilian workplace.  Or think it is unfair that you go to school for free.  Free, except that it was paid for by spending time in a desert hoping to come out unscathed. And knowing that is the lie you tell yourself to keep going everyday.
 
One percent.
Thank a vet. Look them in the eye. Speak from your heart and be thankful you have no idea how they feel. Veterans day is the day we celebrate Veterans but we get all the gifts.
 
 

Gold Stars fall from the sky

31 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by in Community outreach, military tributes, Uncategorized

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Some days, I wish I never quit smoking.  It isn’t the cigarette I miss but the catharsis. I remember sitting in the dark, staring at the glow of my cigarette as I exhaled smoke like a dragon. The very act of smoking is designed destruction- your lungs, the cigarette …all of it.

It all seemed very poetic.

Company in my solitude. Something to focus on- breath in, breathe out. The feel of smoke in my lungs, the taste on my tongue, the smell of sulfur from the match wrapped in intense concentration.

Now, I meditate.  It’s cheaper.  And you aren’t relegated to a windy hill.

But, today?  As I stand in the rain along side a dirty Illinois River looking at the monument to those who have lost their lives in the Middle East conflicts-  today, I could really use a smoke.

My brother in law was riding to Sturgis from Maine and asked that we meet him for a leg of the trip.  We just needed to decide where to meet.

In steps the universe. A video about the Middle East Conflict Memorial wall in Marcelles, Il showed up on my Facebook feed.

It is between Fort Wayne and Rock Island. Check.

It is only 96 miles south. Check.

It rained for 50 of them.  Sucked.

Four days ago, I didn’t even know this place existed.  Now I am standing in the rain with an ache in my heart staring at granite panels with thousands of names….. the grief washes over me to see a physical evidence of the cost we have suffered.

How is that even possible?

The monument is on the edge of a corporate parking lot, alongside the Illinois River. The dirty water is as grey as the overcast skies.

There is a disheveled look to the area; broken pavement, dirt and sand strewn about, the remnants of a 100 year flood that ravaged the area recently.

I imagine it looks like a war zone.

The rain adds to the experience as if the skies themselves are weeping.   Why should I be spared the dirt and the destruction they likely died amongst?

I look around taking it all in.

There are tokens left along the wall; military patches and plastic bracelets. Photos with hand written notes sharing details of who their loved ones were.

What made him laugh. Who he loved.

That he is missed.

I see three Bud Lights place in front of the panel containing the names of KIAs from 2011; placed in front of different names; promised beers amongst brothers.

I walk slowly along the panels. I find his name. Micha’s brother. I catch my breath and my eyes fill. I’m caught off guard by the rise of emotions that rock me.  I didn’t even know him, but to see his name on this wall is like a boot to the head.  I hear Micha’s voice describing his brother over coffee. Collier was killed in a mortar attack in Iraq weeks after his 21st birthday. He never bought him that beer. 

There are Desert boots are made into memorials filled with cement, flags and flowers; poignant and powerful. They are almost pretty.

Some one emptied their pocket of change, perhaps for a debt never repaid.

And there in the rain was one lone cigarette.

I need distance from the granite wall. I go towards the building to see the museum.

The museum was started when Illinois Valley Cellular realized that some of the tokens had been stolen or worse thrown into the river.

Who does that?

The museum is being reassembled. Volunteers had removed everything in advance of the rising flood waters.  There is love and tenderness in ever corner of the room, mingled with tears, and pain and loss.  The photos, the tokens, letters, medals are a story that can live on.

These tokens keep their loved ones alive.

The memorial is a privately funded.  It is a collaborative effort of a small community, small business owners and no small amount of commitment.  Every June, there is a Motorcycle run that draws tens of thousand of people to this little town for a ceremony that reads the names of the men and women who died in previous year. Thousands of people come to stand witness.  It took the government 20 years to recognize those lost in Vietnam. It took the government 60 years to recognize the sacrifice of World War II.  This wall honors the sacrifice within 12 months.

It is the only monument of its kind.

I wish there wasn’t a need.

The founders said they made the wall to say thank you for those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

I want to say I’m sorry.

So very, very sorry.  God Bless.

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Man’s search for meaning

19 Sunday May 2013

Posted by in Community outreach, military tributes

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Happy Military Appreciation Month. Today, I am recognizing my friend Matt Northam. Matt served as a MP for seven years in the US Army. He was in all the places your read about between 2001 and 2008 when he left the service; Guantanamo Bay, various military prisons and Iraq. Matt is in my writers group. He is very quiet. He writes but doesn’t always share- which makes it that much better when he does. One of the prompts we used was “tell your 9/11 story”. Matt was sitting in MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station)
watching the horrible events unfold before him. Matt had already decided to join the service, he was merely waiting to finish his paperwork and go to bootcamp. His story was rich and wonderful to hear. He clearly explained how it felt to KNOW you are being called to serve- that there would be little doubt that he was going to war. Lots of his peers got up and left the building. He raised his hand. 
Matt and I met shortly after he first returned from Iraq. He was the security guard at night in the building I worked. I did business counseling alone in a room behind closed doors. I often did not know my clients. People get a bit anxious when you give them hard to hear feedback regarding their business, their finances and their view of the marketplace. I felt safe knowing Matt was their to watch my back. Matt, like many young veterans was an extreme athlete, a fitness fanatic and a relatively intense person. He was a Mao Thai fighting. He was trying to make himself fit back into his old life, but in a way, the puzzle piece no longer fit. Matt was studying robotics and continued to work with us even after he moved on to school at NIU. I remember that terrible Valentine’s day on the NIU campus when a disturbed young man brought a gun into a class room killing 5 people and wounding 21 others. Matt was there and thankful ok. Matt decided to take a break from school and go to Thailand to improve his fighting skills. While there, he met his beautiful woman who would change his life. His wife Whipa. 
Matt came back a very different man. He is settled, calm and committed to making a life for his family. I didn’t know Matt before he went to Iraq. But I can say that the Matt I know now, is a much more contented man than the 25 year old I got to know over dinner breaks at the Shah center. Matt has had a banner year. A new job, A new house and a beautiful daughter, Ariana. Matt was the first member of my writing group. He has been a faithful advocate of our group and for his fellow veterans. He went to Thailand searching for answers and came home understanding, sometimes the problem is you are asking the wrong questions. I am very thankful for his recommendation of Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl- it was what he read while standing guard in the prisons of Iraq. It says so much about who the man he is and the solider he was. I am deeply grateful to Matt- for his friendship, for his commitment and for his service.

Optimism: The Key to Survival

13 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by in Community outreach, Economic Development, Uncategorized

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It is a puzzling thing, human behavior.

Often, those in our lives who to see the brighter side of events; those pesky, happy souls who see the the silver lining of the darkest clouds are label as dreamers.

They are not practical.

They are naïve.

They are unwilling to see the reality of the situation.

Funny thing, they are also the lynch pin of the survival of our species.

According to a recent feature in Time magazine found that both neuroscience and social science suggest we, as a species, are actually more optimistic than realistic.  *( June 6, 2011. TALI SHAROT “The Optimism Bias.”)

We envision that things will go well.  That we will succeed. That things will not only be ok, they will be great. Exactly who ever starts a project thinking, “Well this is gonna fail miserably… I’m so excited.”

“To make progress, we need to be able to imagine alternative realities- better ones- and we need to believe e can achieve them. Such faith motivates us to pursue our goals. Optimists in general work longer hours and tend to earn more.”- states Sharlot in the same article.

We need to believe we can achieve our goals. According to the article, a brain that doesn’t expect good results lacks a signal that allows us to learn from our mistakes.

If we expect to fail, we learn nothing from the failure.

When we expect to succeed and then fail. We adjust. We brush off our collectives self and continue on, storing the learning for the next time we are in a similar situation.

So, why is it, we can’t envision a successful economic development program starting at the grass roots level; A thriving business community with good jobs and an engaged community?

How do WE, as a community, brush ourselves off and begin to build again?

I personally believe it stems from thinking we have to do it alone….  Or all at once… Or that we can’t make a mistake.

It becomes too big.  It becomes OVERWHELMING.

So instead of coming together to identify what one thing we can do to get things moving, we do nothing.

We point fingers.

We ridicule those who tried and failed rather than learn from the failure and adjust the plan.

True economic development requires community engagement.

The definition of community is a group of interacting people, living in close proximity who share some common values who have some social cohesion.

Community engagement involves government, service organizations, business leaders, educators, faith leaders, and our neighbors.

EVERYONE has a place at the table.

The answer is not a silver bullet, but rather hundreds of silver BBs aimed in the same direction.

Imagine the possibilities if we came together as a community and identified what we wanted in our community.   And what we were willing to sacrifice to bring it about. What do we have to lose?

Catalyst:A person or thing that precipitates an event.

11 Tuesday Oct 2011

Posted by in Community outreach, Economic Development, Engagement, Servant Leadership, Small Business, Women Business owners

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I was recently fortunate  to participate in the new Oprah Winfrey project called Lifeclasses.  It is a 25 episode series of life lessons that Oprah shares with her audience via her new network (OWN), Facebook, Oprah.com and a live interactive studio audience. I was a part of the audience for the first show.

Let me say, whether you are a fan or not, it is hard to not be impressed by the processes of this media juggernaut. Truly amazing how people are entertained, engaged and generally nudged by happy and smiling employees in the direction needed. From an organizational stand point, one would never have known it was a new studio, a program, a new format, a new everything.

And Oprah- in all her presence- is just , well, Oprah.

I have spent most of the morning kneading the dough of what was introduced last night. The topic was The False Power of EGO. How does ego prevent you from living your best life.

This is a topic of great personal interest.  How is it that you get out of your own way?  Not fall victim to the trolls in your head that narrate many of our stories?  The general sense of self doubt that is a part of many of us. How do we stop wanting more and start being present with what we have?

I sit this morning with two things growing in me around this subject. One, I find myself becoming angry, yes, angry about some of the questions posed on the show last night. They were presented with a sense of hope- “how do I stop doing these things that I know are bad for me?, (even though I just admitted, I don’t really want to give up the good parts.)  But with no real accountability. “Can you bring forth my transformation with out any suffering or pain please and get me past this to my future success?” 

This is not  to cast judgment on anyone, it is clear to me, these people were doing the best they can in the moment. What I am sitting with is this, where does that live in me? Where is it that I am wringing my hands in angst about something self created that I don’t want gone, I just want easier?

What struck me was the feeling that there was no accountability- as if these choices were the work of some outside force and if you could just make the icky part go away, (the lack of wealth, power and prestige) We would all be fine.

Can we reset the clock to when things were fabulous please?

There seemed to be a general resistance to the idea that YOU, each of us, were fabulous, just the way you are.

It is not surprising to me that Eckhardt Tolle stated most people reach this level of awareness after a catastrophic loss or tragedy- nothing like a psychic “boot to the head’ to adjust your view of life and align what is truly important. But how do we develop that muscle without the tragedy? How is that we move from lack of accountability for choices we are actively making to ownership of and trust in what is.

Oprah spoke to the beauty of our worth defined by the miracle of creation- that “you” being- simply being- is enough. It is these simple concepts that are the ones that I struggle with. Simple. Complicated by my ego and the outside units of measure I cling to validate my right to take up space on the planet.

What does this have to do with business you might ask. I spent the evening with this growing sense that if I could communicate this simplicity; trust your instincts, use benevolent acceptance, let go of the anger and defense that feeds the ego, in a way that encouraged or engaged people- perhaps we could begin to rebuild.

Communities come together in amazing ways when tragedy strikes.  Stories of helping hands, sharing resources, working together abound in tornado ravaged towns. How do we get the buy in without the disaster? The rainbow without the flood so to speak.

It is what we are asking of our communities-  to have faith in something you have not seen before, that is unfamiliar and unproven…. so we can  move you out of the path of destruction that has not yet happened to out there for the general masses?

We are asking communities to put  aside your individual goals to make your life better and work tirelessly towards a future brighter than you can comprehend or have experienced for your entire community.

To allow yourself to Imagine the Possibilities.   To move together towards a common goal of living better; with an engaged community whose first and foremost goal to is have enough.

Simply enough.

(Ideas+Innovation)Involvement= economic development.

Thank you, Oprah.  You are a true Catalyst.

Best, MMM

MMMaule@3m-group.com

Creating a community of innovation

01 Saturday Oct 2011

Posted by in Community outreach, Economic Development, Engagement, Small Business, Uncategorized

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I often assign articles for my students to read to augment their text books- but more importantly to provide some real world context to the lessons.  We were discussing the idea of globalization and how technology has impacted economic development so I assigned Richard Florida’s “The World is Spiky” from the The Atlantic. http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/images/issues/200510/world-is-spiky.pdf

In recent years, there have been a tremendous number of conversations around Thomas Friedman’s “The World is Flat”; the idea that technology has leveled the playing field for emerging economies and talented professionals around the globe. But it leaves out one very important ingredient. A community of innovation.

As Richard Florida points out- growth and development is happening in concentrated areas; areas that have a reputation for being on the cutting edge of industry innovations. These areas attract talented professionals. These areas attract companies that benefit from that talent pool.  These areas attract financial companies looking to invest into new product developed by that talent and those companies.  And the community of learning begins to form.

So the question for local communities is how to create that same model on a local municipal level.  What comes first the reputation or the innovation?

I would argue the first step is the intention.  Communities that set out to become the definitive source for ( fill in the blank.) Communities that set up a environment that supports that industry- through policy, through education, through community service organizations, etc.  By intentionally creating a environment that is conducive to that industry on an educational, social and governmental level.

There are several examples of communities who have create technology centers to create  a learning environment area software development. Creating a community that wil attract talent, financing and resources in a synergistic model of innovation; A community of perpetual brainstorming and product development.

Local communities from Elgin to Genoa have small community groups who are creating  a model of economic development utilizing the resources that are readily available and a very narrow theme to build upon. The Elgin Technology Center is a non for profit organization with the goal of attracting 115 technology focused business to the Elgin community by 2015.  One of the decisions of the groups is to provide a technology center for professionals to gravitate towards- to share ideas, develop partnerships, brainstorm with technical experts, and surround themselves with like minded professionals with the affordable office space, networking events and educational seminars. There is even free WI-FI.

http://www.elgintechnologycenter.com/index.html

EVERY community can brand themselves as the definitive place for something. Whether it is technology, medical manufacturing,active outdoor living or vintage clothing… communities need to identify the idea, add some innovation, develop an implementation strategy and engage their community.

Recalibrate your community for the future. It all starts with an idea and a group of committed people. Let’s get started.