GP M.A.D.E. Contributes $30,000 to United Community Builders Capital Campaign

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GP M.A.D.E. Foundation was proud today to formally present a $30,000 contribution to the United Community Builders Capital Campaign.

United Community Builders is a 501(c)3 faith-based organization that primarily serves the Boone County and Central Missouri region. Founded 12 years ago, UCB’s mission is to build and release capable people through community-wide programs that focus on education, mentor-ships, job-readiness training and the performing arts.

The United Community Builders Capital Campaign will fund their new Beacon Community Center in Northeast Columbia, MO. This new center will serve low-income area residents and will expand group’s ability to serve the community.

Gary Pinkel is pictured with kids and teachers from the UCB School House Program.
Damian Dean and Apostle Russell Freeman review the plans for the Beacon Community Center with Coach Pinkel.
Coach Pinkel poses with Apostle Russell Freeman, UCB Board President, and Damian Dean, UCB Executive Director.

Blaze the Wonder Dog Celebrates His Birthday

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Guess what? The GP M.A.D.E. Foundation came to visit and celebrate with ME! Blaze, the Facility Wonder Dog. That’s right! Gary and Missy Pinkel came to my 3rd birthday party. I was so excited to see them. The GP M.A.D.E. Foundation helps take care of me so that I can take care of my favorite people in the world – my kiddos at the hospital.

What are some of the ways I take care of my kiddos? Ok, I’ll tell you:

  • I help children work on brushing teeth by letting them brush mine.
  • I help children learn how to dress with buttons, zippers, and shirts.
  • I help children walk. I tell them good job and walk along side for support.
  • I help children pick out orthotics to walk more easily.
  • I help keep kids entertained when they have to wait on things that take a long time, like ordering a new wheelchair.
  • I let children scratch my belly, rub my ears and touch my nose for different sensory experiences.
  • I act as a visual stimuli for kids to work on localizing to objects. (especially my tail!)
  • I help children practice walking up and down stairs. I help keep them safe.
  • I help children learn and identify different body parts.
  • I help children work on standing, strength, and balance.
  • Most importantly, I give the BEST snuggles and kisses!!!

I LOVE my job and I take it very seriously. Nothing makes me happier than helping my kiddos. Thanks, Coach and Missy, for coming to my birthday party. Come back and visit me soon – and don’t forget to bring treats!

Love,

Blaze

Through a grant from GP M.A.D.E. Foundation, MU Health Care is able to care for Blaze so that he can bring joy and support to pediatric patients. We are proud to make a difference in the lives of local children every day. Learn more about the MU Health Care Children’s Therapy Center here.

Processed with Focos
Processed with Focos

GP M.A.D.E. Foundation Participates in Second Game Day Event

Gary and Missy Pinkel attended the second ever “Game Day with GP” event hosted by Dudley and Beth McCarter on Saturday, September 11 in St. Louis, Mo. The event was a watch party for the Missouri at Kentucky football game in which Mizzou came up just short in a 35-28 contest.

During the event, guests were encouraged to take photos with Coach Pinkel, listen to coach’s pregame routine and enjoy the game. Prior to kickoff, Coach Pinkel went through his real team meeting notes including his “Fatherly Advice – Thursday Talk,” an itinerary, and game week notes. The pregame talk was preceded by a Q&A featuring former Missouri football player TJ Moe who described his own pregame routine and what it was like playing under Coach Pinkel.

Guests were able to purchase cups, signed books, footballs and visors in the form of a donation to the GP M.A.D.E. Foundation. Coach Pinkel’s bowl rings and watches were also available for viewing.

The event raised over $10,000 in donations toward the GP M.A.D.E. Foundation which directly contributes to the yearly scholarships given out by the Foundation. Three weeks later, the GP M.A.D.E. Foundation was able to host a tailgate for Missouri’s home game against Tennessee to meet with sponsors and other supporters.

2021 Scholarship Recipients

Monarch Title Company Partners with GP M.A.D.E. to Make a Difference in 2021

While winter weather might have cast a cold spell over the mid-Missouri region, it hasn’t stopped game-changing community partners like Monarch Title Company, Inc., from joining the GP M.A.D.E. Foundation from getting involved to help change lives. The Foundation wishes to shine a warm spotlight on Monarch Title to thank them for stepping up in a significant way this year.

In December, Chuck and Pam Bowman of Monarch Title pledged $5 to the GP M.A.D.E. Foundation for each loan closing, and they presented a check for $2,590 to Gary and Missy Pinkel last month. Monarch will continue that generous partnership all throughout 2021, and that’s naturally got Coach Pinkel excited.

“I can’t say enough about Chuck and Pam and the entire team at Monarch Title,” said Pinkel, President of the GP M.A.D.E. Foundation. “They run a first-class operation and that’s proven out by the commitment they make to the community, and to our foundation as well,” said the winningest coach in Mizzou Football history.

The partnership was a natural fit for Monarch Title Company, said CEO/Co-Owner Chuck Bowman.

“Pam and I both feel giving back to the community is a priority and a prerequisite for any business owner or leader,” said Bowman. “When we met Gary and Missy we were impressed by their passion, kindness, and desire to help others. These attributes not only fit our personal culture and values, but fit the Monarch organizational goals to give back to the community. Our wonderful staff are also very involved and especially drawn to helping children and youth that need assistance to get them on a path of success,” he added.

Bowman said the unique giving model is one he hopes others emulate.

“Pam and I wanted to come up with a unique way to give back to GP M.A.D.E based on our company profitability,” he said. “We thought this could be a protocol or practice that other business owners and executives could follow based on their own business model and profits, and we are hopeful that others would see the value and impact they can have on others’ lives by giving to this wonderful organization,” he said.

Donations to the GP M.A.D.E. Foundation are easily and securely made by visiting www.gpmade.org.

Mental Toughness and Will

“To become a champion, fight one more round.”

Mental toughness is many things and difficult to explain. It’s qualities are sacrifice and self-denial. Also, it is combined with a perfectly disciplined will that refuses to give in. It is a ‘state of mind’  that you could call, “Character in Action.” –Vince Lombardi

Mental toughness allows players to tap into emotional and mental resources that keep play at its prime often and consistently.

Will is the combination of patience, persistence, perseverance, and resilience.

6 Toughness Qualities

  1. Combat negative thought
  2. See yourself succeeding
  3. See stress as a challenge, not a threat
  4. Use humor to break up tension
  5. Learn and move on from mistakes
  6. “Just for today” spirit- Right Here, Right Now

“Toughness is the ability to perform toward the upper range of your talent and skill regardless of the competitive circumstances!” — Jim Loehr

 

The Psychological Profile of a Champion

As this week’s Make A Difference quote states, actions are a reflection of our character. In other words, if you want to be called a champion, you have to act like one.

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE OF A CHAMPION

  • Ambitious – Your dreams are big, and your goals are high. You value success, and do not accept failure.
  • Coachable – You realize that your coach has your best interest in mind. You listen to, learn from, and take advice from your coach. You are easy to approach and take constructive criticism well.
  • Aggressive – You are naturally competitive and have an insatiable hunger for a win. You assert yourself undeniably in order to get that win.
  • Leader – You set a positive example for others, allowing your teammates and peers look up to you. You respect others, and they respect you. Your teammates look to you for advice.
  • Initiator – You take the lead, even under pressure. If you see something wrong, you step up to the plate and fix it.
  • Hard-worker – You are the first to show up to practice and the last to leave. You are a self-starter who never skips a day of work.
  • Fit – You are physically tough. Your body is in excellent condition from all the workouts, practices and training sessions. You train constantly to keep improving your own body.
  • Strong – You have a never-give-up attitude and never make excuses. You don’t let your feelings get the best of you on the field. You ignore heat, cold, pain and other obstacles and focus on your goals instead.
  • Enduring – You see things through until the end. You are a reliable presence to teammates and coaches. You do your best when faced with tough competition. Your can-do attitude remains consistent year-round.

All of these traits can be learned, practiced and perfected. A true champion is constantly striving towards self-improvement.

The Truth About Hard Work

There are no shortcuts to any achievement. That’s why you never see laziness or inefficiency rewarded or respected. No one simply wakes up in the morning, decides to be successful and then achieves it through the power of thought alone. Truly successful individuals have put in hard work, and the results followed.

Mizzou Football knows what hard work feels like on the body and the mind, and they also know the results of putting forth full effort.

Here are nine truths about hard work, both on and off the field:

  1. Talent alone is no assurance of success. The only way to reach the top is through long hours of hard work.
  2. If you work hard enough, you can accomplish more because your competition won’t be as stiff. There are few athletes who are willing to put forth an all-out effort to achieve success.
  3. Man’s greatest hour is the moment in which he has worked his heart out and lies exhausted, but has been victorious on the field of battle.
  4. Every day you fail to practice, you miss an opportunity for improvement.
  5. Practice the things you cannot do three times longer than the things you can easily do. Convert your weaknesses into strong points.
  6. There may be areas that in which your opponent has an advantage over you, but he should never be in better condition than you.
  7. The only way to get in good condition is to never get out of it.
  8. Anything you do that will harm your body is going to reduce your physical condition and cut down your chances for success.

There will be days when just the thought of hard work is exhausting. In those moments, remember these words of encouragement:

Belief sets up the conditions that make success, health, and happiness possible.

To turn potential into reality, you must do something about it.

When you do things you have to do when you have to do them, the day will come when you can do the things you want to do when you want to do them.

Work is the foundation of all success, the source of all prosperity and the parent of genius. It is the salt that gives life its savor, but it must be loved before it can bestow its greatest blessing and achieve its greatest ends. When loved, work makes life sweet, purposeful, and fruitful.

Courage to Succeed

It’s easy to be ordinary or mediocre, but it takes courage to excel, to be different from the crowd. That’s why not many people can do it. The rewards are great, but so are the risks. It takes courage to sacrifice; to work long, hard hours when you could be relaxing; to work out when you’re tired or sick; to focus on being the best you can be when there are so many distractions; to seek out tough competition when you know you’ll probably get beaten. It’s easy to be average, but it’s hard to be the best.

It takes courage to:

  • Stand by your convictions when all those around you have no convictions.
  • Keep fighting when you’re losing.
  • Stick to your game plan and the unrelenting pursuit of your goal when you encounter obstacles.
  • Push yourself to place that you have never been before physically and mentally, to test your limits, to break through barriers.
  • Run a marathon, but then how would you ever know how far you could run if you never tried?
  • Try to be the very best you can be when others around you settle for mediocrity.

We are put on the earth to be tested – to be challenged with adversity and to see what we can accomplish. The successful person is the one who continually faces the problems and challenges that life bring s- and overcomes them all, no matter what the obstacle is.

The road to success becomes lonely because most are not willing to face and conquer the hardships that lurk on that road. The ability to take that extra step when you are tired and delusional is the quality that separates the winners from the also-rans. It’s the courage to succeed.

There is no substitute for hard work.

Never be satisfied with less than your very best effort. 

The Law of the Price Tag

The Team Fails to Reach Its Potential When It Fails to Pay the Price

If a team fails to reach its full potential, rarely is it a matter of resources or an issue of ability. It is almost always a payment issue. A team does not reach its full potential unless it is willing to pay the price of giving 100 percent.

The Law of the Price Tag is a complex idea that is misunderstood by many. Here are the four elements of this law of sacrifice:

1. The price must be paid by everyone

In order to be a member of a team, you have to make sacrifice. The team doesn’t reject individual accomplishment; rather, it empowers personal contributions. People who have not been a part of a winning team often fail to realize that every team member must pay a price.

The “price” that must be paid is not the hard work of the team leaders. I believe that some people on a team think that if others put in the effort, they can coast along with their group victories—this mindset is never true. If everyone does not pay the price to win, then everyone will pay the price by losing.

2. The price must be paid all the time 

There is a condition called “destination disease,” and many people show the symptoms. Some individuals mistakenly believe that if they accomplish a particular goal, they no longer have to grow or improve. This mindset can apply to everything, not just athletics: earning a degree, reaching a desired position at work, or receiving a particular award. However, the day they meet their destination is the day they stop growing and forfeit their potential—and the potential of their peers. It convinces us that we can stop working, stop striving, and stop paying the price yet still reach our potential.

Destination disease is as dangerous for a team as it is for any individual. It is crucial to remember that there is no other price for success than hard work itself. President Dwight D. Eisenhower knew this truth, which is why he said, “There are no victories at bargain prices.” If you want to reach your potential, you can never let up, no matter what happens.

3. The price increases if the team wants to improve, change, or keep winning

Becoming a champion has a high price, but remaining on top requires even more sacrifice. How many companies stay at the top of Forbes magazine’s lists for a decade? How many back-to-back Super Bowl champions are there? There are very few because the higher you are, the more you have to pay to make improvements, no matter how small.

If you want to improve and run your race at a faster pace, you must pay by training harder and smarter. You may not think working harder than you are in the present moment is possible, but if you want to remain at the top, it is the recipe for success. This same principle applies to teams. To improve, change, or keep winning, as a group the team must pay a price, and so must the individuals.

4. The price never decreases

When most people quit during a challenge, they don’t give up at the beginning, but stop halfway. Nobody sets out on a mission with the purpose of losing; the bigger problem is the mindset they foster during the challenge. There is a mistaken belief that a time will come when success will miraculously get easier. The truth is that life rarely works that way. There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.

There are two kinds of teams who violate the Law of the Price Tag: those who don’t realize the price of success, and those who know the price but are not willing to pay it.

Living up to the Law of the Price Tag requires the following “costs”:

  • Sacrifice: This word is used a good deal in regards to the Law of the Price Tag because it is such a crucial element for success. When you become part of a team, you may be aware of the things you will have to give up. But you should know that, at some point, you will be required to give more—that is the nature of teamwork. A team only gets to the top by the blood, sweat, and sacrifice of its team members.
  • Time Commitment: Teamwork does not come with the jersey. It costs time. It takes time to get to know your team and learn how to work together with mutual trust and respect.
  • Personal Development: Your team will reach its potential if you reach your full potential. That desire to keep striving, to keep getting better, is a key to your own ability and character, but it is also crucial for the progress of your team.
  • Unselfishness: Mankind naturally looks out for his own self-interests. The question “What’s in it for me?” is never far from anyone’s thoughts. But if a team is to reach its full potential, its players must put the team’s needs ahead of their own.

The rewards of teamwork can be great, but there is always a cost. Only by embracing the Law of the Price Tag can a team reach its full potential.