Expansion team

For more than 20 years David C. Blake kept in his top desk drawer a New York Times obituary about a CEO of a large U.S. retailer who was one of the founders of the 5% club — an initiative where companies gave 5% of pretax profits to charitable organizations.

The 25-year MDRT member and new MDRT Foundation President long has been inspired and fascinated by people’s efforts to make a difference in the world and the privilege to do so. Anyone who knows about Blake’s work recognizes the exponential and personal scope of his mentality and impact.

Understanding vulnerability

Reflecting on the start of his philanthropic journey, Blake shared how he was experiencing a comfortable, upper-middle-class childhood until a sudden breakdown in his family unit changed everything during his late teens. After knowing only good fortune and promise, the relationships around him crumbled and educational opportunities disappeared. Suddenly, he was confronting life-changing circumstances for which he was ill-prepared.

He had to choose between buying food or paying heating bills, tolerated hostile work and family environments, and sold possessions to make ends meet. His plight pushed him into focusing exclusively on making money to provide for his wife and newborn daughter. Then he read a chapter in Stephen Covey’s book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” that asked him to imagine who would come to his funeral. Blake realized the only people who would show up at his would be business colleagues and a few close friends. That was it.

“I realized I was not living a balanced life,” he said. “So, I purposefully tried to find a better way and began to attend MDRT meetings, where I found myself surrounded by inspirational people who showed me what it means to be a Whole Person.”

That transformation didn’t immediately involve the MDRT Foundation. Like many members, Blake only knew about the organization from seeing charity partner presentations during the MDRT Annual Meeting. It was only after being encouraged to attend an MDRT Phonathon in 2015 and learning that every MDRT member can apply for a grant that Blake’s better way crystallized.

“Realizing I can do this was the biggest epiphany for me,” he said. “It truly changed the course of my life.”

Blake immediately helped secure a grant for an organization called Friends of Firefighters, which provided confidential counseling to New York City firefighters dealing with PTSD from the September 2001 World Trade Center towers collapse and other on-the-job trauma. And discovering that he could only apply every other year didn’t stop him. Blake set about introducing other members to charities and helping facilitate additional grants. Each year, he seeks to support five to 15 charities, and in the last six years, he has helped 40 to 50 across five continents receive grants.

That’s not all. An MDRT meeting presentation inspired him to set a personal goal to help an MDRT member in every U.S. state apply for a grant. That was before he recognized the Foundation’s global impact, so he broadened that goal to every country. The result is an ever-expanding community for Blake, where positivity and potential reign.

“That’s why I love my MDRT Foundation family so much. They helped me become the person I always wanted to be,” he said. “I have an opportunity to make a difference in the world by helping charities.”

Blake, who in his work helps hospitals and medical practices across America provide long-term disability insurance for doctors in training, also has worked to fight food insecurity among medical students and in food deserts. Additionally, he encourages clients, MDRT friends and business associates to get involved in philanthropic initiatives. That’s why he creates local service projects and gives his staff members paid time off from work to volunteer at charities of their choice.

Blake even started an organization that brings therapeutic ukulele music experiences to isolated or traumatized populations across the U.S. This initiative has grown to bring music to children’s hospitals, elder care centers, and organizations supporting veterans and first responders. Blake also has been working with government representatives from Hawaii and the Department of Health to replace hundreds of instruments and provide weekly music lessons to the Maui residents affected by the Lahaina wildfires.

“The world I get to live in is this ever-expanding philanthropic bubble,” Blake said. “It’s inspiring and humbling.”

Continuing to grow

In his new role, Blake’s priorities include helping MDRT members recognize how philanthropy and the MDRT Foundation’s Global Grants program drive that spirit of giving. Expanding the Foundation’s network also can help raise awareness about the MDRT Foundation and its grant application process for new members. Identifying ways to leverage existing MDRT resources and member advocates — while working with Membership Communications Committee channels and MDRT leadership — can boost the Foundation’s reach and awareness.

He frequently says, “I’m a guest in your house,” recognizing that his goal is to help create value-added opportunities for others. He only wants his enthusiasm to be an asset and never to feel like overstepping. After all, when anyone discovers something that has an enormous impact on their life, it’s fair for them to be excited about it.

“Giving to others and working to make the world a better place for other people has changed my DNA for the rest of my life,” Blake said. “Ted Rusinoff (an 18-year MDRT member and 2019 MDRT Foundation President) always says, ‘The two most important days of your life are the day you’re born and the day you figure out why you’re here.’ I’m trying to add a third day to that: the day you choose to do something about it.”