David Boothby's last day in the office

Today (Friday, September 28th) is my last day in the office. I am retiring after almost 32 years as Midwest Regional Director. Although I am looking forward to this new stage of my life, it is with a bit of sadness that I leave this office. The many wonderful staff , volunteers, donors and friends that I have met over the years have made this much more than just a job. I will continue to cherish these relationships and hopefully continue to communicate with many of you. I leave with no regrets and a feeling of accomplishment regarding the growth of this office and the region it serves. I also leave with great hopes and expectations for the future. We have come a long way in the past 32 years but there is much more to do and I have confidence that those who are still here and those who will follow me will continue to spread the word about Heifer's mission to those who have not yet heard it. My thanks to all who have traveled this road with me and blessing to all who seek to help those in need through Heifer International!

David L. Boothby

Murphy Keller Education Center website

All,

I am pleased to announce the launch of a new micro Web site in support of the construction of the Murphy Keller Education Center! You can view the site at http://murphykeller.heifer.org.

This Web site is the beginning of marketing efforts on behalf of the Heifer International Campus. During the construction phase, efforts will be focused primarily on potential donors and local and regional media. In fact, this incarnation of the site is meant primarily for those two audiences. As we near opening day, efforts will turn to a destination marketing effort aimed at the general public, schools, congregations and community groups to drive visitation to the campus.

In addition to detailed information about the building, exhibits and adjacent wetlands, visitors can take a virtual tour of the outside of the building, and in a few weeks will be able to use a new feature that will provide a virtual tour of the exhibit area. During the construction of the building, visitors will be able to see a live image of the construction site courtesy of the new Webcam that was mounted on the outside of our headquarters building, as well as frequently-updated still images.

I want to take this time to thank and recognize some key fellow staff members who have worked along with me to build this important home base for news and information about the Center: Katy Starnes (of course!), Nina Rodriguez and Erica Lawlor, the Hope for the Future Campaign staff (Lynnette Watts, David Prater and Jen Heselmeyer), Alan Jones, Jon Trobaugh, Erik Swindle and Jennifer Pierce. I want to say a special thank you to Shane Stacks for his technical guidance of the project.

Please note that, temporarily, the videos may not work inside the building (although they work appropriately externally). IT normally limits the bandwidth of streaming video. They are making a change to allow these to “buffer” and play normally, but it may not happen today. If you cannot see the videos, check them out at home tonight!