Glad to be here

“Glad to be here” seemed to resonate with the crowd at the 13th annual Preston Area Community Foundation dinner and auction on the evening of March 11, 2019.

The event has historically been held at the Branding Iron Supper Club in Preston, Minn., but due to the restaurant being closed, the PACF board of directors opted to host the event at the community center in Fountain, Minn.

With the event hosted in Fountain, there was a strong presence of Fountain ambassadors, such as Mayor Jim Schott, and a few city council members.  The crowd presented a nice mix of Preston and Fountain community leaders and business owners.

The program started with a welcome message by PACF board member and F & M Community Bank President Charles Aug, who can always carry the crowd with a witty Ole and Lena joke.

Preston United Methodist Church Pastor Pam Seebach provided the invocation.

The crowd was pleasantly presented with a feast catered onsite by Estelle’s Eatery & Bar with Chef Matt Brown and his crew.

As attendees enjoyed some world class beef brisket or chicken, Charles Aug again stepped up to the plate to present guest speaker Mike McCabe.  But, not without a crowd-pleasing pilot joke.

Former TopGun Pilot and Naval Aviation Leader Mike McCabe then took the crowd to new heights with a presentation that has been revered by attendees as one of the best they’ve ever experienced.

“My grandfather saw his first plane in 1911,” shared McCabe.  “He learned how to fly from Charles Lindberg.”

McCabe explained how his father’s story was portrayed by Tom Cruise in the famous movie Top Gun.  Mike’s father was a World War II Navy pilot, which inspired McCabe to aim high.

As Mike McCabe progressed throughout his military career, he grew in his leadership role from overseeing 300 officers to a total of more than 60,000 military personnel.  And, with that leadership role, he was in charge of a $96 billion budget.

Former Navy Admiral McCabe talked about how the Blue Angels work to improve their performance over and over, debriefing after each air show.  “This is about teamwork.  That’s the key to their success.”

They have a “purpose greater than self,” he shared.  “Culture is important.  Nothing beats a strong culture.”

He shared a number of videos in which Blue Angels pilots flew their planes in such synchronicity that they could trust each other enough to fly their wings within 36 inches of each other.  It’s all about trust.

“Why do they fly so close to each other?” asked McCabe. “Because they can!”

They do it to avoid complacency.  They start out at about 10 feet apart when flying together and continue to work on improving their trust and performance as a team.

The Blue Angels improve by 300% per year.  “The key to success is debriefing.  Human nature is to not admit when we’ve made a mistake,” offered McCabe.  Debriefing is always about getting better as a team.

As McCabe pointed out with all of the behind-the-scenes videos showcasing the Blue Angels pilots, each member of the team points out what they could have done better for the sake of the team, and how they misread or miscommunicated as a team member.  Each pilot ends their time at the debriefing table with the phrase “glad to be here.”

McCabe expanded on how all of this related to the attendees of the Preston Area Community Foundation dinner and auction event.  “This whole organization is all about trust and focusing on sustaining that.”

As stated in the PACF press release about McCabe, “having survived air combat, the 9/11 attacks, and cancer, Mike embodies the spirit of ‘Glad To Be Here’ and lives in a pay it forward mode, bringing his storied experience and passion to helping teams and leaders.”

“I’ve lived a blessed life,” concluded McCabe, “The number one relationship I have is with the Lord.”

PACF Year in Review

Following Mike McCabe’s presentation, F & M Community Bank Vice President Mary Schwarz gave the crowd a year in review.

The Preston Area Community Foundation helped to raise $224,000 from more than 375 donors for the veterans home in Preston.  “We had donations come from all over the state of Minnesota,” shared Schwarz.  “It has been truly amazing the amount of support this project has had from the entire area.”

Also, in 2018, the PACF supported the following projects with grant funds.

•City of Preston Park Board basketball hoops.

•Preston Emergency Service child restraint and public AED.

•Fillmore Central student matinee

•City of Preston holiday garland

•Preston livability video

Fundraising for the PACF was comprised of two main events.  The annual dinner raised $21,000 in 2018, and the Give to the Max one-day campaign in November raised over $18,500 on that single day in 2018.

Recognition award

After Mary Schwarz concluded the year in review for 2018, Wayne Dreier, a great ambassador of the PACF, took to the microphone to call upon F & M Community Bank CEO Dan Christianson to join him at the podium.

Standing before a large crowd of PACF supporters, Dan Christianson was presented an award of recognition for his unrelenting support of the foundation.  Christianson worked closely with former Mayor Dick Nelson to help get the Preston Area Community Foundation off the ground.  He also served on the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation board of directors.  Through Christianson’s leadership, his bank has continuously and generously supported the PACF with matching funds that have benefiting community projects in the Preston and Fountain area.

Upon receiving the award, Christianson received a standing ovation.

Following a brief acceptance speech by Christianson, SMIF President and CEO Tim Penny stood up and thanked Dan Christianson for his support for SMIF, PACF, and the Preston and Fountain communities.

Concluding ceremonies

Matt Gehling with Gehling Auction Co. LLC conducted the live auction, generating excitement in the room as bidders raised their hands for the good of the PACF.  With Scheevel & Sons providing four hours of dirt work, Gary Hellickson providing a whole hog, and Dave Mensink providing a private flying experience in his plane, the auction had something of interest for everyone.

Silent auction winners were announced.

Charles Aug closed with a thank you to everyone for attending and showing support for the PACF.