NDAD is taking part in our region's Giving Hearts Day for the first time on Feb. 9, 2017. 

Mike Brue has taken part before in the annual 24-hour online give-athon, which this year involves more than 350 regional nonprofits. Yet, this year is the first chance Mike, an NDAD employee in Grand Forks since 2012, will be able to use the Giving Hearts event to directly help his employer.

It’s an especially fine opportunity, he says.

Any donations of $10 or more that are made on Feb. 9 via GivingHeartsDay.org will qualify for a match.  Mike, NDAD’s communications director, says that matching money provides added incentive to personally expand his own role in NDAD’s mission and enhance the impact of his donation.

But it’s hardly Mike’s only incentive to give back, he adds.

In so many ways, he has witnessed day upon day of NDAD’s giving hearts since joining the charitable nonprofit, which has helped people with disabilities and health challenges for more than 40 years. He’s grateful to have filled varying useful roles in NDAD’s statewide mission.

“I’ve got a fine job,” Mike said, “but my gratitude goes far beyond being employed.”

Example of NDAD's good

For example, NDAD sponsors benefits and other fundraising efforts for people with serious and sometimes life-threatening health concerns as part of its organization’s Community Fundraisers Program.  Like NDAD’s other services, this program is provided free of charge. 

Before he joined NDAD, Mike witnessed firsthand the way the Community Fundraiser Program assisted tremendous community benefit efforts for two of his longtime friends and newspaper colleagues. One of them received a heart transplant, and the other a liver transplant.

“I believe the terrific community support they received was as life-sustaining as the financial help the fundraisers provided, and probably more so,” said Mike, whose role as chairperson for one of those benefits left him with even more favorable impressions of NDAD. “Some truly heartwarming occasions.”

Now with NDAD, he provides a variety of publicity and marketing help to NDAD’s benefit efforts, including designing and creating fliers, social media campaigns and other fundraising support. Some of Mike’s work takes advantage of skills transferred from his 30 years as a Grand Forks newspaper editor, reporter and columnist and TV news director – community service of a different sort, he said.

The thanks NDAD receives for providing assistance rarely is taken for granted by the people who have been helped and their family and friends, Mike says.  And for good reason: NDAD’s help has improved and changed lives for the better and sometimes helped save them.

"We always appreciate the thank yous that come NDAD’s way, and you can bet they boost spirits pretty well around here," Mike said. “Sometimes these moments with clients are quite personal and profound. They give you plenty to think about. Plenty for which to be thankful.”

How you can help

If they’re able to do so, Mike says, individuals and families who have received assistance from NDAD, or who know people helped by NDAD during its 40-plus years of community service, are urged to consider a Giving Hearts Day contribution to the organization on Feb. 9 at GivingHeartsDay.org. If anyone knows the value of NDAD’s help, it’s these individuals and families, he says.

Mike also appreciates whatever his own friends, family members and coworkers can do to match his own plans to invest NDAD’s mission on Feb. 9.  Again, even a $10 donation, matched by special NDAD match donors, is backing that can help NDAD continue to meet and perhaps expand its services, he said.

“NDAD’s slogan is ‘Helping Others to Help Themselves,’ and those words appear with our logo,” Mike said. “But each of us at NDAD are happily aware of another simple truth, which we’ve witnessed repeatedly:  It’s amazing what people can do when there’s help. And it’s amazing what we’ll do with yours.”
 

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