Know people...make a difference

I have lived in Indianapolis for over 20 years now. Over those years I have become connected with various organizations and individuals. Some connections stemmed from work activities, some from church, some from our kid's activities, and some from volunteer efforts. None of these relationships were created on false pretenses or simply for the idea that I might "need something someday."

However, when you do the right things for the right reasons you tend to make solid friendships that last a long, long time. All of my volunteer activities have centered around something I was passionate about: Church, Heart (cardiac) organizations, soccer, football, scouts, those less fortunate, etc. I have always enjoyed these efforts -- a trait learned as a child back in Decatur, Illinois. (Thanks, Mom and Dad!).

Now, when I am "in need" myself I find that these longtime friends are willing to help out in any way they can. Mostly this means networking for a new position. People are willing to lend their endorsement and open up their "rolodex" if they have some contacts that make sense.

So....get involved in your community. But don't get involved just to pad your resume. Get involved in something that makes sense to you...something you are passionate about. There are SO many ways to help others.

Go on.....make a difference today.

Chaperon

Yesterday I volunteered to be a chaperon for high school field trip. Nate's Anatomy class was to visit Community Hospital South and they needed adults to accompany them. I was thrilled to learn that I passed the "background check" and was considered to be an Adult. Woo hoo!!!

At first Nate was VERY against me going on this trip. I guess it went okay and I didn't embarrass him too much after it was all done.

I had a clipboard with the instructions and the names of 11 students who were randomly put in my "Group." By the way...GROUP #3 rocked it!!

Anyway...we had a short bus ride to the hospital. After some orientation and a panel discussion each group was assigned to visit 2 different areas of the hospital. I must say that I was very impressed by how professional the high school students were in the orientation and panel...actually throughout the entire day. They were quiet and respectful, asked appropriate questions, etc.

Group #3's first stop was the SIMULATION ROOM.....which I initially misread at STIMULATION ROOM. What a disappointment. The mannequin in this real-life hospital room was a scary sight. Poor guy had fallen 20 feet on his construction sight. He had a piece of metal through his face, broken clavicle, intestines hanging out, burned arm, severed toe, etc. The really cool part was that there is a control booth behind a two-way mirror and a technician runs a computer that allows the "dummy" to speak, change his vitals, etc. So as the simulation is going on the dummy can go into cardiac arrest, talk about his pain levels (actually say anything the tech wants him to), etc. Really cool. The kids also got to try their hand at inserting a breathing tube which was interesting. Some of the accidentally got the tube in his esophagus and blew up his stomach instead of hitting the trachea and his lungs. Oops....poor dummy.

Then we were off to the Emergency Room area. Once we were in place they came rushing in with a 17-year-old patient (not a dummy) that had been in a car accident because he was texting and driving. This was all simulated but it was cool. The driver's "parents" were there as well as his siblings/friends. They were crying, etc. They hooked the kid up to all the equipment, started IVs and assessed him. Eventually they decided he needed to be airlifted to higher level trauma center. So....we followed the air-evac team outside to the helipad while they placed him in the helicopter and prepared to leave.

Other groups of students had different experiences including labor/delivery, pharmacy, surgery, etc.

All in all a great experience for the kids. Some of the students have an interest in health care and some others (including Nate) have no interest whatsoever in healthcare. It was still very educational and fun.

Next, Ellen wants me to join her as a volunteer at the Post-Prom party which runs from (something like) midnight to 3am. I'm pretty sure I will be sleeping during those hours!

Study Shows Unemployment Can Be Deadly

Great. Just great. As if I wasn't stressed enough already my wife shows me this article.

In reality I am not that stressed...yet. However I was speaking with a friend at our Rotary meeting this morning. He was recently hired...after 31 months of unemployment. Yikes. I see that Home Depot is hiring down the street.

I have had several professional opportunities go by the wayside already. One because I hadn't been in the I.T. field for more than 10 years and they went with someone who was in I.T. currently. Another because they only wanted to hire someone who had particular experience in their industry. Too bad because I really thought I could have contributed there! Some places are putting off hiring decisions, etc.

So, back to the networking circuit. I don't mind it. People have been very good (for the most part) about agreeing to at least meet and share ideas and thoughts. My problem is that I go into meetings thinking I am a prefect candidate for these positions...for the most part. Why wouldn't they want to hire me? I mean....c'mon!! :)

New Blog Initiative - Make a Difference

I am re-igniting this Blog to share things with family, friends, and others. Life continues at a dizzying pace and I like to share things with people!

Let me bring you up-to-date. In January 2010 I left the business world to join the non-profit world. This was a very deliberate decision not one that was "forced" on me by losing a job or anything of the sort. I joined a group that provided free heart surgeries to children in 3rd world countries. This made total sense because our 19-year-old daughter has had 10 heart surgeries....and we enjoy doing volunteer work in 3rd world countries.

I went in to this endeavor with perhaps too many stars in my eyes about helping others on a full-time basis. It lasted a year before we agreed to part ways. I am still wanting to believe that not all non-profits have the issues I encountered. I worked hard and raised funds....but not quickly enough for the Founder. I had hoped to stay there for many years but the environment turned out to be not suited to me. Bummer.

So now I am in the job hunt. At age 49. I read the papers and see that it is tough for people in this age group to find jobs. However, I don't "feel" 49. And, the new paradigm (a word which has been overused for too many years) indicates that I could have a good 15-20 years left to work....maybe more if I "want" to. What is your definition of retirement? Mine is not sitting on a rocking chair watching the world go by.

So, age should not be an issue when looking for a job. Income? I think everyone is fairly flexible to a certain degree. It's the new economy, right? Relocation? Okay....not flexible there to be sure. Work ethic? Strong, Experience? Plenty...those gray hairs bring a lot of knowledge and can turn a learning curve into a mere bump in the road. Ethics in general? Strong...we understand what's important and how to create long-term, long-lasting relationships.

So where does this lead? Perhaps in non-profit again. I am not ready to assume that all non-profits are the same. I think I just happened to latch on to one that didn't mesh with my business mentality and drive. Business --- sure. I was there for 26+ years. Being in Sales, Marketing, Finance creates a nice broad skillset that translates in to many industries.

Bottom line is that if you understand people you can succeed. Those skills that they teach in college and continuing ed classes are accurate --- listening is a critical skill. Create solutions that solve problems. Communicate regularly. Be real. Follow through. Dig, dig, dig --- got the extra mile. Make a difference.

I welcome your readership and your comments. Stay tuned for the next installment!

Argentina

Okay.....I will try to update this Blog for family....

Mom and I will be in Argentina from May 24-June 1.

Later.

Mid-Life "Crisis"? or following your passion?

When I was 40 I bought a Harley-Davidson…. while my wife was out of the country. I told everyone that that was my mid-life crisis. As a baby boomer I rationalized that this purchase was appropriate and better than some other mid-life decisions I have heard of other people making. I’m not sure my wife agreed completely. Eight years later I still have the motorcycle. And my wife.

I’ve only really had two jobs in my adult life. For the first 16 years I worked for the same Information Technology firm and for the past 10 years I have been a fee-only financial advisor. I enjoy working with people and really like making complex topics, like retirement planning, easy for people to understand. I thought I would be a financial advisor until I retired. My, how things change.

Throughout my working years I have always volunteered along with my wife and children. I have been involved with the American Heart Association, Rotary, Arms of Life, the Refuge, my church, international mission trips, and Center Grove Band Boosters to name a few. My main focus has tended to lean toward “heart” organizations and international mission work. Our 18-year-old daughter, Alex, was born with serious heart disease and has had 10 cardiac surgeries over the years. Combine that fact with our various international mission trips and it was easy for us to see that children in other countries are not nearly as lucky as Alex has been because they do not always have access to life-saving heart surgeries.

About a year ago I started doing internet research into how we might be able to help poor Honduran children get much needed heart surgery. I mentioned Honduras because our family has spent extensive time there over the years. I attended a conference in the Dominican Republic and began to meet people in various international organizations who strive to provide cardiac surgery to needy kids around the world. One such organization is called the International Children’s Heart Foundation, or ICHF. Based in Memphis, TN they send medical teams around the world and perform more than 500 surgeries per year on children in underdeveloped countries.

So, here I am at age 48 facing yet another “mid-life” change – not a crisis. Although this one doesn’t involved any motorized vehicles, yet. I started talking with the ICHF and began to wonder if my skill set could be used to further their mission. I suddenly found myself moving from potential volunteer to potential employee. Could this really be happening? Another career change? Moving from the business world to the non-profit world after 26 years? How much stress can one Boomer take?

So, in January I embark on my third career. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average U.S. worker changes careers 3-5 times during their lifetime. Okay, so I am only on my third. Whew, what a relief to be “average.”

The difference this time is that I am truly passionate about what I am going to be doing. I enjoyed working in the I.T. industry for 16 years. I really liked helping clients for 10 years in the financial services industry and many clients became friends. But this “mid-life crisis” is different. I am passionate about helping save children around the world who have heart disease. I am comfortable telling the story of our daughter and how she wouldn’t have lived had she been born in an underdeveloped country. I know what it is like to wonder what to do when your child is critically ill. We always had a hospital just down the street with qualified surgeons and cardiologists. But many times in these underdeveloped countries the parents of “heart babies” are simply told to take their child home and keep it comfortable as it dies. Now I can look some of those parents in the eye and tell them about my daughter’s struggles and how their child can get the same surgery, provided free by a group of caring medical professionals from the United States.

Are you ready for your “second act”? Are you following your dream? Are you making the difference you want to make? If you feel empty in your career then start planning for a change. That may mean new training, assessing your strengths and weaknesses, and networking. It will also undoubtedly involve evaluating your finances to see if a mid-life crisis fits in to your budget. You may need to trim expenses and save money to make the transition.

Just don’t sell that Harley !

No more braces!

Here's a recent picture of Alex -- without her braces!!

September 2006

This past Saturday (Sept 16th) was the annual HeartWalk to benefit the American Heart Association. We have been participating in this event since its inception in 1991. Alex has turned into one of the events biggest fundraisers here in Indianapolis. I imagine over the years, she has raised more than $80,000 for this event alone! This year there were thousands of people in downtown Indianapolis raising much needed funds for research and education about Heart Disease and Stroke. Locally, the event was anticipated to raise close to $1,000,000. Alex's goal was to raise $15,000 and she may very well reach $17,000 which would again probably make her the number 1 fund raiser in Indianapolis for this event! Below are a couple pictures from the event. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the Walk was nice!










Alex preparing to cut the red ribbon to start the Walk. Each year she has special TEAM ALEX t-shirts made. On the back of the Shirt the various Corporate ($1000 or more donation) and individual donors ($500 or more donation) are listed.












Alex and her Aunt Debbie before the Walk began.












Alex being interviewed LIVE at the event on the NBC Affiliate in Indy!

____________________________________________

DID YOU KNOW:

Each day an average heart “beats” (expands and contracts) 100,000 times and pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood.

About 1% of kids are born with Congenital Heart Defects? Of those 1%, Alex is in a more rare category due to her having a single Ventricle (she was also born with Pulmonary Stenosis and Transposition of the Great Vessels).

Alex has a 2-chamber heart (normally it's 4 chambers) and a pacemaker. She takes about 4-5 different medicines, some of them 3 times a day. She has a special machine which is used to call into the hospital over the phone so they can monitor the pacemaker. The old/unoxygenated blood in her body never really goes into her heart...it gets sent directly to the lungs! The sole purpose of her heart is to pump the good/oxygentaed blood to the body through the Aorta.
____________________________________________

Thanks for reading and thanks for all of your support! ! ! ! !

Ellen's Birthday Weekend

We celebrated Ellen's birthday last weekend with some motorcycle riding! Just what she always wanted. She was a trooper. Linda and Dave came down from Wisconsin and we went riding south of Indianapolis through the winding back roads. We had lunch at the Story Inn (www.storyinn.com). Loophole and the FTC also joined in the ride.

Ellen and Linda at the Story Inn.

Ellen, Dave, me, Linda (nice helmet, Dave)

I also learned something about Ellen that I didn't know after 18 years of marriage. Apparently there was a tradition in High School of eating ice cream cake rolls. But you could use no utensils and you passed it along to the next person so they could have a bite. So...sitting on the back deck we shared the cake roll....

ALEX UPDATE - Alex seems to be recovering nicely. Her incisions are healing but still "itch." She has a 24-hour Holter monitor the other day and we don't have those results back yet. She is being seen back at Mayo Clinic on July 17th. Regarding Marching Band...she will play in the band but will play keyboard (in the Pit) so she doesn't have to actually march on the field. This will work out great for this year!

BOYS - Chase comes home from camp tonight. He goes to another camp the week of July 10th in Wisconsin and the next week he has Scouts camp. Busy dude this summer! Nate went to camp a couple weeks ago. He also has soccer camp coming up.

More picstures to follow! Have a GREAT and safe 4th of July.

Disney World - April 2006

We went to Orlando for Spring Break. We had not been since 1999 so it was fun to go back. We visited Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and MGM Studios. We also saw the Cirque de Soleil show at Downtown Disney...very cool


Nate LOVES riding Dumbo with his big sister!




The kids by Cinderella's Castle





We were selected to be the GRAND MARSHALLS of the afternoon parade. They gave us these free Mickey hats and we led the parade...there were an estimated 40,000 on the park that day!


This is the car we rode in as the Grand Marshalls!


At 3-D presentation



Can't go to Disney without riding the Tea Cup ride. This was BEFORE the ride...we are not queasy yet!

Merry Christmas

Here are the kids visiting Santa in downtown Indy.

Have a Merry Christmas. Also....even though this is a picture of Santa....please remember the real reason for the season!

God Bless.

Charles

December 7, 2005

Miscellaneous PIctures

(Left - Chase definitely enjoys dressing up like a cowboy and also likes his homemade bow/arrow.)

Below - Chase (on left) and his fellow Cub Scouts learn about electricity













Kids at the Indpls Symphony

and

Kids seeing Santa

November 30, 2005

SOUTH AMERICA TRIP. Mom, Dad, Greg, Debbie, John and Charles took a trip to Argentina recently. The reason was to visit Mom's "roots." So we flew into Buenos Aires on Nov 11. We spent time sight-seeing in BsAs and also spent a day in a "suburb" - Lomas de Zamora where my Mom was born and raised. She moved away after graduating from High School in 1945. Obviously things had changed! We were able to spend a lot of time at the manse/church where she grew up which was really cool! She told lots of stories which was fun. Perhaps in another entry I will tell more of the history...but for now I wanted to get some pictures up! The boys left on November 15th around 10pm to return to the US. Mom and Debbie continued on to Iguacu Fall and then on to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to spend a few days with Hugh and Joanne.

Mom dancing the Tango on the streets of San Telmo

Mom at the Lomas Athletic Club







Fresh Produce in Montevideo, Uruguay.




















My grandfather (My Mom's Dad) pastored a church in Buenos Aires. But THIS is a picture of the church my GREAT-grandfather pastored in Montevideo, Uruguay.














Mom in the sanctuary of the Methodist church in Lomas de Zamora where my grandfather served as pastor for more than 30 years.














Greg, Debbie, Mom and me in the courtyard of the church. The manse is just to the right of this picture.















Greg, Mom, me, Dad in front of the manse.










My Mom sitting at the original organ in the sanctuary (below).

November 3, 2005

Well, I know it has been awhile! Sorry. I know you visit here everyday waiting for the latest update!

Here are some interesting tidbits:

1. We got to see Alex's band perform in the RCA Dome. We sat way up high and it was neat to see the formations! They got 8th out of 32 bands. The weekend of Nov 10th are the Grand Nationals in which they will compete.
2. It is going to be 75 tomorrow so I am going to ride the motorcycle. Out firm is having a Community Service day so I will be planting flower bulbs downtown.
3. I spent $297 last night at the grocery store and it all fit into one cart. As they say in Texas..."Damn!"
4. Kids are all fine. Stinkers sometimes but fine.
5. Ellen is good too!

Here are some pics from Halloween. Pay particular attention to Nate's smile.

October 10, 2005

You know, I worked in I.T. for 16 years and technology frustrates me a lot. I just entered a bunch of data and the Netscape crapped out on me and I lost everything. Geeeesh!

Anyway, as I was saying...I went to my high school 25th reunion this past Fridat night. You can see more here. We all had a lot of fun! It was an informal gathering as opposed to one of those "hotel-and-sit-down-dinner" things. I think this was a fun way to do it. We had a tour of the school which was really entertaining! Then we attended about 1/2 of the football game and then headed to the Bourbon Barrel. I don't know how many people were there from our class....maybe 30 or so. I saw people I hadn't seen in years and it was really fun. I thought most people looked great. One interesting comment from the subsequent emails which are flying around is that it really doesn't seem to matter what "group" you hung out with in high school...because now we all talk and get along fine. Cool.

In other developments:

• I wonder if I had one of these instead of my 2003 Super Glide if Ellen might ride more with me. Hmmm!?
• The 9 week grading period ends this Friday. Should be interesting around our house!!
• We leave for Boston next week for Carl's wedding.
• Next month I go to Argentina for 5 or 6 days. More on that later.
  

September 21, 2005

Things are going well. This past weekend was the Heartwalk in Indy. It was a beautiful day and about 4,500 people showed up to walk! This year we set up a little tent and table and sold "GOT HEART ?" wristbands. All profit goes to the AHA for "Team Alex." I think we sold over 100 wristbands and we still have plenty left if you are interested! It looks like Alex raised more than she did last year! Perhaps close to $14,500! Looks like she will be #1 or #2 again this year.

Alex got to cut the ribbon to begin the Walk. She was also interviewed by the Indpls Star newpaper and an article appeared on Sunday! Well, as soon as the walk started, Alex and Ellen to drive to Ohio for a marching band competition. The performed twice and didn't arrive home until after 1:00 a.m.!! Alex seems to enjoy marching band. I will get some pics soon.

The boys are fine. Both are doing well in school and keeping busy with sports, school, and church. Ellen and I are busy at work and volunteer stuff. But all in all life is pretty good. How about you??

Here is an interesting concept. I really wonder which family members read this blog...if any. So here is what I propose: It is 4pm on Wednesday September 21, 2005. Whatever "family member" emails me and tells me they read this part of the blog will receive in the mail $5 of McDonald's gift certificates. Sorry, non-family members are not eligible for this contest. So, you know my email...let me know and you can "have it your way"...no that's Burger King...you can "think outside the Bun"....no....you're Eatin Good in the Neighborhood...no...you can have two-all-beef-patties-special sauce-lettuce-cheese-pickles-onions-on a sesame-seed-bun!!!

Well, take care of yourself and have a GREAT day.

Wednesday September 14, 2005

Sorry I haven't updated lately. Here are some pics from John re: Ophelia Prep. You can track the storm here: Ophelia. Keep John and Michelle in your prayers for sure!

OTHER: Alex had an unexpected trip to Riley Hospital Monday. She has been feeling "pressure" in her chest which has been quite disturbing. They checked her all out and determined they think it is scar-tissue that is causing the discomfort. That's good new/bad news......good news that it isn't something worse.....bad news because Alex would really like them to do something to take it away! Alex continues to march in the band at Center Grove HS. It is challenging from an endurance standpoint.

Nate is adjusting well to school we think. His grades are good and he continues to enjoy travel soccer. Saturday I was at the fields from noon - 5pm. Then Sunday he had an "away" game ... but still in Indy.

Chase is also good. He makes us laugh as do all the kids!

We try to have lots of laughs and make life fun. So far so good.....most of the time.

The Heartwalk is this Saturday. Alex has done well on fund-raising...I think she will beat last year's total and will end up around $14,000. Ellen and Alex leave immediately after the Walk and drive to Ohio for a marching band competition. The other kids are taking the school busses and Alex will join them in Ohio. SHould be fun! The boys and I will go to soccer, etc!

That's all for now. Keep in touch!!!

Tuesday August 30

SOCCER CHAMPS

Nate's U-12 Travel Soccer team won a tournament this weekend. This is the first time one of Nate's teams has ever won a tournament...so it was VERY exciting. Nate is in the back row (Number 12). They played 4 games over the weekend and won 3 and tied 1. Nate played some pretty good games as a defender and mid-fielder. He got stung by a bee right before the tourney and had a swollen ankle...but played well anyway. (Click on the picture for a larger version)

Minnow Races !!

Here's a fun activity for people of all ages: MINNOW RACES. I suppose the SPCA might have a problem with this because in our situation the minnows bite the big one the next day. But here's how it works. You buy several 10' sections of cheap plastic guttering and put end caps on both ends so they hold water. Fill gutters with water. Purchase a bunch of minnows and bring them home. Every person involved selects a minnow and puts the little fella in their own Dixie Cup to keep track of their very own minnow. Be sure to pick a nice name for your minnow like: Speedy, Jaws, Margarita, or something else.

We then set up a white board with a single-elimination bracket chart like the NCAA Final Four. Start out with two people who will race their fish. They stand at one end of the gutters and pour their fish into separate gutters. They then try to coax their fish to the other end of the gutter. Let the Cheering begin! You can coax your fish by tapping the outside of the gutter, but can't put your hands or fingers or anything else inside the gutter or in the water. We actually drew a "START" and "FINISH" line with permanent marker before filling the gutter with water. We put these lines about 2-3" inside each end of the gutter.

The fish will (hopefully) swim toward the other end. The minnows then go back into their owner's cups. Winner eventually goes on to next round. Loser gets flushed....I mean put out to stud. Since this is single elimnination, any loser is permanently out of the competition. Eventually you end up with one Grand Champion...who ultimately meets the same fate as all the other losers.

This is pretty good, clean, cheap fun. Let me know if you have questions.

Thursday August 25

KIDS BACK IN SCHOOL

Well, the second week of school is in full swing! Alex continues Marching Band...although future participation is somewhat in the air due to endurance issues. I think a decision will be made soon. Not sure if she can perform some other function in the Marching Band besides actually marching.
Nate likes the public middle school so far I think. Travel soccer is active again with practice 2 nights a week and games on the weekends. Chase is in Drama Club at school (one afternoon a week) and will probably tak piano again. No soccer this Fall.