Community Service (1999)

1999-2000 Corporate Charity: The National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Making a Difference in the Fight Against MS—Each year by employee vote, KCI adopts a corporate charity and devotes its efforts and energy in a number of fund-raising events.  From April 1999 to April 2000, KCI employees contributed $4,500 toward finding treatments and a cure for multiple sclerosis.  Events included the MS Walk on April 11th, KCI Day at Oriole Park on May 1st, KCI Golf Outing on June 25th, the Luau on September 11th, the Bake Sale & Holiday Bear Raffle on October 8th, and miscellaneous tin can collections.

Top Volunteer-Driven MS Event for 1998—KCI’s Ken Saunders helped organize a Kuoshu (Kung Fu) demonstration to benefit the Maryland Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The event drew 700 people and contributed $5,100 toward finding a cure for MS. Both Ken and Rob Anderson participated in the demonstration.

Bay Grasses in Classes—On June 19th, Laura Johnston, Tom Kiefer, Nick Linehan, Mark Richmond, and Sylvia Thies (all Hunt Valley) joined family, friends, and other Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) volunteers at Maryland’s beautiful Elk Neck State Park to plant Bay Grasses. The great day marked KCI’s second year of participation in the statewide program, sponsored by the CBF.

PennDOT Wetland Planting Day—On April 23rd, Jim Kodlick and Gretchen Yarnall (Harrisburg) helped plant 12,500 seedlings with dozens of other volunteers on the Fulton Advance Wetland Compensation Site in Pennsylvania. The plants provide a buffer zone around the site and will enhance water quality as well as fish and wildlife habitats.

Service Abroad—In January 1999, Dwight Walters (Newark, DE, Office manager) participated in a missionary trip to the Island of Quenac, Chile, to build a 1200 square foot church.

Dwight is a member of the Pathfinders (part of the Assemblies of God Church), pictured here, a group that takes on special mission trips in remote areas where other missions teams typically would not go because of the lack of accommodations such as running water and lodging. Instead, the Pathfinders take their own tents, food, and materials to build the churches.  They put this church up in nine days.

Boy Scout—In July, Assistant Scout Master Dave Jones (Hunt Valley) accompanied six scouts, including his 18-year old son, Dave, Jr., to the Florida Keys for a diving trip. In 1992, Dave served as an advisor for eight scouts on an 11-day, 65-mile backpacking trek in the mountains of New Mexico.

ASCE Service Project—On April 24th, Jill Spiess (Bensalem), Steve Drumm (Hunt Valley), and Steve’s son, Patrick, demonstrated their roofing expertise at the Broad Creek Memorial Scout Camp in Harford County, MD, as part of a service project for the .

GSA/HCFA Wetlands Appreciation Day—On April 20th, Joe Pfeiffer, Rob Bailey (both Raleigh), and Bill Branch from MD DOT guided fourth graders from Catonsville Elementary School through the unique urban wildlife sanctuary in the backyard of the Health Care Financing Administration complex in Woodlawn, MD. This is Joe’s third annual educational tour of KCI’s award-winning project.

Knights of Columbus—Ron Dailey (Hunt Valley) is serving as District Deputy for the Maryland Knights of Columbus.


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