Lawrence “Jeff” D. and Mark R. are considered local celebrities in their hometown of Madison, Wisconsin as a direct result of achieving a dream. The story began over six years ago when the men decided they wanted to learn a form of martial arts called Hwa Rang Do and eventually earn their black belts. This is an accomplishment that many people would have some difficulty achieving and it required many long hours of hard work, persistence and dedication on the part of both men.

Both Mark and Jeff are some of the first ever students of the Hwa Rang Do form of martial arts to complete an adapted program and earn their black belts. Hwa Rang Do is a Korean martial art that combines fighting techniques with spiritual training. The instructors at the academy where Jeff and Mark trained created a new curriculum to allow anyone with any disability to study at the academy. With the help of their instructor, who is also a Dungarvin employee, the techniques have been adapted to allow the individuals to participate as fully as they are able.

Six years ago these amazing men began this journey and have been working on an undergraduate level of the Hwa Rang Do program called Tae Soo Do. Jeff and Mark have worked diligently, mastering the blocks, kicks and other moves to complete all the skills necessary to earn their black belts. Over the years, the men have increased their overall strength, allowing them to bear weight for longer periods of time; roll out of their chairs and demonstrate some complicated blocks, kicks and other moves that many people without a disability would have trouble achieving. They have also made some lifelong friends and have served as an inspiration for the fellow students and instructors at the academy.

During the Black Belt ceremony on December 20, 2014, the men demonstrated the skills they have learned over the previous six years, and proudly accepted their black belts resulting in thundering applause and a standing ovation from the audience.

After earning this achievement, the men were featured on local new stations and in newspaper articles. They are very proud of their accomplishment and have enjoyed being in the spotlight. While out in the community since the event, the two have been stopped by people in the public saying things like, “Hey, didn’t I see you on TV?” As expected, they are taking great pleasure in this type of recognition and they light up when this happens.

We are all so proud of them for achieving a very astounding and inspirational accomplishment. All of us in Madison are all looking to forward to what they have in store for all of us next….no doubt another incredible and amazing accomplishment!

Joey has always dreamed of becoming a police officer.

From an early age Joey has enjoyed serving and protecting others and it is an instinct that comes naturally for him. When Joey learned of the South Bend Police Department’s Community Police Academy he knew right away that he wanted to be involved and was excited for the opportunity to achieve his dream.

This spring Joey began the nine week Community Police Academy training program, which focuses on educating members of the community about the values, philosophy, and operation of the SBPD with the goal of increasing the understanding of police duties and responsibilities. During the weekly training sessions Joey learned about crime lab evidence processing, police communications, and patrol operations and received hands on demonstrations by the SBPD K-9 Unit, SWAT and Bomb Disposal Units.

According to Joey, the best parts of the training were the simulations. He was able to participate in a police scenario exercise using a firearms training simulator, as well as a DUI simulation using a golf cart and goggles that mimic alcohol impairment. Through these exercises Joey learned that police officers sometimes have to make difficult life and death decisions instantaneously and that people who drive under the influence present a risk to the health and safety of everyone in the community. The Community Police Academy also provided Joey with an opportunity to sample the training police officers receive at the actual Police Academy. Joey hopes to share the knowledge he received from his training with his peers to help foster a cooperative relationship between the SBPD and his community.

Next, Joey would like to participate in the SBPD’s Volunteers in Policing program so that he can support the police with traffic control for Notre Dame football games, parades and festivals. Joey is currently taking driver’s training courses to obtain his driver’s license so that he can drive a squad car through the Volunteers in Policing program. After he has accomplished that goal, Joey would like to begin GED courses so that he can start courses in criminal justice at a local community college. Dungarvin Indiana is so excited for what the future has in store for Joey and is honored to support him in pursuing his dreams!

What do The Smithsonian, Dungarvin’s National Central Office (NCO), and the office in Colorado Springs have in common?

You’d probably think nothing, right? Well, you’d be wrong. At one point or another, all of these places have displayed original works of art by our very own Victoria Pegler. Maybe, on display in the Smithsonian is a bit of a stretch because Victoria’s work wasn’t actually on display there on a permanent basis, but it was on display for few days during the annual ANCOR conference a few years back, and we think that’s pretty darn cool. How many of you can say you’ve ever had a piece of your artwork on display at The Smithsonian? That’s what we thought.

Victoria’s work is currently on display at Dungarvin’s National Corporate Office in the main lobby. It greets everyone who enters with a colorful and cheerful reminder of the Dungarvin mission and the pillars on which Dungarvin is built: Respect-Response-Choice. Of course, Victoria’s work is very popular in her home state of Colorado, and you can find it all over our offices. She’s even turned some of our furniture into pieces of art by painting directly on them. Many of us have even been lucky enough for Victoria make us our own personal works of art that we proudly display in our own homes. You want to see Victoria’s art for yourself, don’t you?

Until now you would’ve had to go to NCO or Colorado if you wanted to see Victoria’s stunning works of art. But today is your lucky day! With your help, you could soon own your very own copy of My Gift to You by Victoria Pegler. It’s a coloring book, so you can color it in any way that you like. All you need to do is follow this link to Victoria’s KICKSTARTER page and make a donation. All of the money raised will go directly to pay for the start-up costs associated with publishing My Gift to You.

Victoria only needs about $600 to get the project off the ground. She needs $300 for Phase I to cover the costs related to “re-draws” and for the “layout of the internal elements of the book.” She’ll need another $300 for Phase II, which is related to the actual publishing of the book. However, Victoria is hoping to raise a total of $2,000 so she has some cushion for unforeseen obstacles and expenses and for costs associated with additional publishing runs. Once Victoria raises enough money for the initial start-up costs, we can start working on Phases I & II and get this coloring book published.

Still not motivated enough to make a donation? Victoria’s desire to publish her coloring book is three fold: (1) She wants to create a job for herself, (2) She wants to raise money for children’s cancer research (her own son is currently battling cancer), and (3) She wants to share her artwork with the world. How cool is that? Instead of continuing to wait for things to happen, she decided to take charge and make things happen all on her own! If that’s not self-determined I don’t know what is. With this project, she is able to fulfill all her desires and create a job and source of income for herself, raise some money for children’s cancer research, and share her art with the world.

If all goes as planned, My Gift to You will soon be available for purchase on Amazon.

But wait, there’s more!

The first 40 people to make a donation of $20 or more to Victoria’s KICKSTARTER campaign will receive an autographed copy of My Gift to You.

So let’s all pull together and raise some money for Victoria and help her make her dreams come true!

Thank you in advance for your time, consideration, and generous donations!