Spirito! to honor Mark Dyer at Autumn Voices Gala 2015

Spirito! Singers, at its Autumn Voices Gala on October 24, 2015, will proudly award its fourth annual Service Award to Elmhurst resident Mark Dyer for his volunteer service with ShelterBox.

ShelterBox is a world-wide humanitarian organization. When a natural or manmade disaster strikes, ShelterBox deploys two-to-four-person response teams within 48-72 hours to bring emergency shelter, aid, and hope to those who need it most. Specifically, ShelterBox delivers self-contained boxes with family-size tents, stoves, water purification equipment, and other emergency materials directly to families who have lost their homes as a result of major disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, typhoons, and war.

Since 2008, Mark has served as a ShelterBox field responder, personally delivering those lifesaving boxes to Haiti, Columbia, Somaliland, and other places around the world. The role is mentally and physically challenging. When deployed, Mark must respond to disasters on short notice and work in extreme conditions for two to five weeks at a time and often in some of the most dangerous and destitute locations around the globe. The selection process to serve as a field responder is rigorous. Mark is one of only about 185 qualified field responders worldwide. Mark learned about ShelterBox through the Rotary Club of Elmhurst, where he was a member.

Mark said that two of his most memorable and rewarding experiences were (1) working with a young Nigerian man, who—after severe flooding wiped out his town and killed its mayor—jumped into the leadership role for his town and helped Mark make sure supplies were first distributed to the disabled, widows, and orphans most in need, and (2) seeing two Japanese women reunited after each thought the other had died in a tsunami. Dyer said, “Disasters are terrible, but it is heartwarming to see people at their best amid the worst.”

“Mark is a ‘Marine’ of humanitarian volunteers,” said Michael Nelson, Spirito! board member and chair of the Spirito! Service Committee. “It is awe-inspiring how Mark risks his health and personal safety and sacrifices his time to bring lifesaving disaster relief and hope to those most in need. Mark is a credit to our community, and Spirito! is honored and pleased to present Mark with its 2015 Service Award.”

“It is an honor to receive this Spirito! Service Award,” Dyer said. “I appreciate Spirito! recognizing all the good that ShelterBox is able to accomplish for disaster victims around the world. I hope this award will generate greater awareness for ShelterBox’s vital mission.”

Mark has served on 12 ShelterBox missions: Somaliland (war refugees, 2009), Niger (flood, 2009), Miami (logistics for Haitian earthquake, 2010), Haiti (earthquake, 2010), Colombia (flood, 2010), Japan (tsunami, 2011), Arkansas (tornado, 2011), Colombia (flood, 2011), Haiti (tropical storm, 2012), Nigeria (flood, 2012), Philippines (earthquake/typhoon, 2014), and Malaysia (flooding 2015). On eight of these deployments, ShelterBox designated Mark as the Response Team Leader, making him responsible for the overall field operation of the team. Few have served on so many ShelterBox missions.

Mark lives with his family in Elmhurst. When he is not on a mission around the world, Mark works as the Community Outreach Specialist for the Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook, which is owned and operated by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.

Previous recipients of the Spirito! Service Award are Rob Johnson (Neumann Family Services), Daniel Gibbons (Turkey Trot), and Joe and Susan O’Neil (A New Day Cambodia).

Spirito!—led by accomplished musician and artistic director, Molly Lindberg—is a choral service organization comprised of two choirs open to young women between 5th-12th grades and a third open to men 18 years of age and older. Spirito! members are from Oak Brook, Elmhurst, LaGrange, Western Springs, Hinsdale, Downers Grove, and many other western suburbs.

Spirito! welcomes the community to come honor Mark at the Autumn Voices Gala. Donations raised through Autumn Voices are crucial to the ongoing success and service of Spirito!. For Autumn Voices tickets or more information, please visit www.spiritosingers.org.

Tickets are $100.00 and include the following:
• Cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception
• Open bar throughout the evening
• Sit down dinner
• Live auction activities with lots of fun prizes and ways to get involved for a variety of budgets
• Performances by Ragazze, Bravura and the Men of Spirito!
• Complementary valet parking

The evening begins at 6 pm with a cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception, followed by a sit down dinner and live auction activities directed by the professionals from Zaffarano Auctioneers. The event will offer live, mini-live and silent auctions; and raffles – giving you the opportunity to secure a holiday gift or summer experience for yourself, your honey or your kids.

To learn more about this event, follow this link: http://www.spiritosingers.org/#!autumn-voices/c1g67

To go directly to purchase tickets: http://spiritosingers.maestroweb.com/

Can’t attend, but wish to help?: http://www.spiritosingers.org/#!cant-attend/c1rsu