The Flood of Water, Love, and Laughs
by Carol Kerr, VP, Marketing & Communications
The failures on May 19 of the Edenville Dam and the Sanford Dam, about 140 miles northwest of Detroit, sent nine feet of water sweeping through the homes of many residents in the towns of Edenville, Sanford, and Midland. One of the flooded homes was that of our very own Guy Gaskell, Support Programmer, and his family of five. While the structure of the home itself survived the flood, much of the interior – from drywall to carpeting to much of the contents – was a total loss. Evacuating twice, the first time less than 24 hours prior to the dam failures, they secured what they could before leaving the second time. This was a huge blow to the Gaskell family, as the home was not only serving as the family residence but was also the office and the school.
Tears were naturally shed at the loss of precious mementos and the general comforts of home, but on the heels of the receding flood waters has risen an outpouring of love from Guy’s MDT family that has brought tears of joy and even laughs to Guy, his wife Kimberly, and their three daughters, Hailey – 14, Mariah – 11, and Sydney – 10. MDT hosted a fundraiser to help the Gaskells with the unexpected expenses they would incur, the first ever Pie-in-the-Face Challenge. All employees had an opportunity to pledge a donation for the Gaskells in the name of an MDT manager. For every $200 pledged for a manager, that manager would receive a pie in the face. The event exceeded expectations! MDT’s employees pledged a total of $7,844 and that, combined with an MDT contribution of $1,500, meant a check for $9,344 to the Gaskells. And yes – several managers received more than one pie in the face. 😊
Guy shared these comments: “Nearing two months into the cleanup and rebuild, I often catch myself reflecting on just what we went through – what we lost, what we could have lost and how much work is still left to be done. Will my property value ever recover? Will there be a lake again in five years like they say? So much to think about, but through it all we still remain hopeful, humbled, and most of all thankful. Thankful for the army of friends and family that spent countless hours helping clean up, and those that couldn’t get here to help that sent us meals for days, gift cards, and money. To top it off, what all of my co-workers at MDT did for us is still unfathomable. I’m still at a loss of words trying to describe how grateful I am to work for MDT, and the coworkers I have around me. Watching the pies hit those managers’ faces gave us the hope we needed, even more so than recovering our hot tub from seven miles down the lake.”
Enjoy these photos of a handful of the managers who brought in lots of donations for one of our own!
