As long as I can remember, music and lyrics were the motivation to so many things in my life. When traveling on planes or rentals cars or stuck in a hotel room somewhere across the globe, I’d hear songs that would immediately transport me back to that moment in time where, with crystal-clear perfection, I could re-live a memory. I pretty much like all music genres, and my Spotify lists are unequally jammed with live music performances. Candidly, you’ll know the true caliber of a musician by how they perform live. It also makes me long for the day when I can get back to concerts, and, yes, hosting face-to-face events.

There is one artist that for me moves the needle beyond musician, and I keep getting reintroduced to his impact annually: Harry Chapin, who died almost 40 years ago in an accident on the Long Island Expressway outside of New York. While he created hit singles like “Taxi” and “Cat’s in the Cradle,” he is equally known for championing the cause of ending world hunger.

Chapin always used his performance platform to tell his audience to remember the local food banks, and he collected cans of food as part of the admission to his shows. He would consistently chat up radio deejays about the topic and push up-and-coming artists like Billy Joel about this pressing issue. He even shamed a young Bruce Springsteen into using his celebrity for greater good.

Today, almost 40 years later, Chapin’s legacy survives through WHY Hunger, an organization he founded and whose purpose states the fundamental belief that access to nutritious food is a human right and hunger is a solvable problem in a world of abundance. They host their annual “‘Hungerthon”’ in November to raise funds and collect food to help the cause. I’ve met the team from WHY Hunger and have a personal connection with one of their board members, David Miller, that evolved through our professional careers. They are as passionate as you can get!

Before the year is out, your Foundation will distribute more than US$700,000 to distressed members and impact more than 2,200 people across the globe.

Chapin also had a credo: “When in doubt, do something.” I am recalling all of this because there is a documentary coming out about Chapin’s career and how much he was able make an impact during his tragically short life.

I’m sure you’re thinking, “Well, Kevin, that was nice, but what does that have to do with MPI, the MPI Foundation or, candidly, me?” Glad you asked!

If the year 2020 had a soundtrack on a streaming service, I’m sure the playlist would register “ERROR” on our iPhones. The disruption, the angst, the civil unrest and the impartiality of how this pandemic has affected so many lives is without precedence.

It weighed heavily on everyone throughout this organization.

Yet, despite these conditions, we’ve articulated and acted to bring reassurance.

The MPI International Board of Directors (IBOD) and the MPI Foundation Global Board of Trustees (GBOT), all volunteers, made it their mission to put members first and act in the long-term interests of our members, chapters, association and industry.

The MPI Foundation: Advancing our industry by strengthening our people and communities.

To borrow from Chapin, we did something. And we’re not done, either!

Before the year is out, your Foundation will distribute more than US$700,000 to distressed members and impact more than 2,200 people across the globe. We’re not ending world hunger, but we are keeping the livelihood of professionals in the forefront of everything we do. And that’s what keeps our boards and staff motivated every day.

Typically, at this time of year, we would commence our annual celebrations. Seems hard to fathom celebrating, but I, for one, am ready. I want to celebrate the generosity of our partners who gave major donations when it didn’t make financial sense. I want to celebrate the small group of chapters that made a point of giving to the Foundation so we could, in turn, give back to others.

I especially want to thank GBOT Chair Chandra Allison and IBOD Chair Steve O’Malley for the service, perseverance and support they offered to me when all we wanted to do was do something.

Asking for donations in these times may seem tone deaf. We have no choice if we want to continue our path for future generations. We can be quiet or make our own music that grows louder with each and every donation! Visit www.mpi.org/foundation to find out ways you can help make an impact.

Harry Chapin always ended his shows with “Circle” as a rousing sing-along. We could all use a little of that love right now.

Cheers.

Kevin Kirby
Executive Director, The MPI Foundation
kkirby@mpi.org

Photo by Jefferson Santos on Unsplash