{"id":24990,"date":"2023-02-23T00:40:09","date_gmt":"2023-02-23T05:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/?p=24990"},"modified":"2023-11-30T15:53:30","modified_gmt":"2023-11-30T20:53:30","slug":"rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/","title":{"rendered":"Rick Russell &#8211; The Man and the Award"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Since 2004, Mentor Discover Inspire has honored men with the &#8220;Rick Russell Memorial Membership Award,&#8221; presented to those men who have displayed a strong sense of heart in the work they have done within the MDI organization and within the lives of the men. The description of the award and the man that bears its name is detailed here.  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:36px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Man<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Rick Russell was a man who some say was larger than life.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though, yes, he was a large man in stature, his true greatness was how much he cared about the men and how high his purpose and vision reached.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of his visions, and well-known proclamation, was to see a men&#8217;s team on every block.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having done the Men&#8217;s Weekend in the mid-80s, he spent time in leadership within the local men\u2019s organization in Vancouver, in what was known at the time as Men&#8217;s Divisions International, as well as working for a time for the Sterling Institute of Relationships in Oakland, California.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His enrollment skills were second to none, leading his Vancouver region to grow from one division to three, from 600 to 900 men, helping to produce Sterling Men\u2019s Weekends three times per year for two years.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brad Leslie, who was on Russell\u2019s men\u2019s team for six years, lovingly describes him as a BC (British Columbia) redneck who would take a chainsaw to anybody to get to the truth of the matter. Leslie says Russell, who rode mountain bikes and did motocross, once smacked a tree going 60 mph, ripping his right hand off. Though the appendage was sewed back on, Russell became impatient with the cast, removing it early, leaving his hand permanently cockeyed. Another time, Russell traveling cross country had someone pull a gun, sending a bullet through his right bicep and into his pectoral muscle. At team meetings, he would show off the scars.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Larger than life.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"Rick Russell - In Front of the Men 1994 Rhino\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Q650LArI5bs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong><em>Russell delivering at the first international Rhino, Hale Creek, British Columbia, 1994.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Leslie was present the day that Rick Russell passed away. Russell \u2013 who had been working in the States for the Institute \u2013 had just bought an RV and was having lunch with men in Oakland. He said he had to retrieve something from the RV but didn\u2019t return in a timely manner. When he was found, he was laying on the walkway, a victim of a stroke.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Back in a Vancouver hospital, Leslie held guard at the door and on call for the men. Though Russell appeared to be improving as of Christmas 1994, by the next day it was clear he was not going to make it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Leslie recounts: \u201cWith one hand on his forehead, and another on his heart, I told him, \u2018Hey man, from all the men, thank you for all you did. Goodbye.\u2019 I kissed him on the forehead, walked out into the next room where 20 people were waiting. The doctor followed right behind me and said, \u2018I&#8217;m sorry, he\u2019s gone.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rick Russell passed on December 26, 1994, at the age of 51, survived by his wife Janice and her daughter.&nbsp;There were three funerals for Russell \u2013 in Vancouver, in the Bay Area and in New England &#8211; with 600 guests in attendance at each.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Said Leslie, \u201cWhen Rick died, we lost a catalyst for growth, and though we survived as a region for some time, the numbers did taper off pretty quick.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Russell\u2019s region in Vancouver BC, once a burgeoning and growing circle in his time, steadily shrunk in size after his death, ultimately being dissolved, in heartbreak style, by the Sterling Institute in 1998.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Said Leslie: &#8220;During an exercise in the circle, I proclaimed, &#8216;I will keep the spirit of Rick Russell alive through his love of men, the truth and community.&#8217; He lived for the men, truth and community.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Russell was a loved man who deeply loved the men.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"703\" data-id=\"25063\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/1994-Int-Rhino-Rick-Russell-n-Men-1024x703.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-25063\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/1994-Int-Rhino-Rick-Russell-n-Men-1024x703.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/1994-Int-Rhino-Rick-Russell-n-Men-300x206.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/1994-Int-Rhino-Rick-Russell-n-Men-768x527.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/1994-Int-Rhino-Rick-Russell-n-Men-1536x1055.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/1994-Int-Rhino-Rick-Russell-n-Men-2048x1406.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"919\" data-id=\"25061\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Russell-1994-CoastMasters-n-BORIS--1024x919.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-25061\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Russell-1994-CoastMasters-n-BORIS--1024x919.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Russell-1994-CoastMasters-n-BORIS--300x269.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Russell-1994-CoastMasters-n-BORIS--768x689.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Russell-1994-CoastMasters-n-BORIS--1536x1379.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Russell-1994-CoastMasters-n-BORIS--2048x1838.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"899\" height=\"649\" data-id=\"25062\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Russell-circle.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-25062\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Russell-circle.png 899w, https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Russell-circle-300x217.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Russell-circle-768x554.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 899px) 100vw, 899px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:41px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Award<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-image uagb-block-7840e948 wp-block-uagb-image--layout-default wp-block-uagb-image--effect-static wp-block-uagb-image--align-none\"><figure class=\"wp-block-uagb-image__figure\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Screenshot-2023-02-22-at-9.37.41-PM.png \" src=\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Screenshot-2023-02-22-at-9.37.41-PM.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"uag-image-25005\" width=\"886\" height=\"722\" title=\"\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-image uagb-block-f69314c5 wp-block-uagb-image--layout-default wp-block-uagb-image--effect-static wp-block-uagb-image--align-none\"><figure class=\"wp-block-uagb-image__figure\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rick-fucking-russell-768x1024.jpg \" src=\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rick-fucking-russell-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"uag-image-24993\" width=\"671\" height=\"895\" title=\"\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Upon the plaque for the Rick Russell Award is printed these words: <em>&#8220;In recognition and honor of commitment, relationship and value in service to thousands of families.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The award was created in 2004 by Michael Fowlkes, then MDI President, who wanted a recognition program to acknowledge the men in the organization. At the time Mitch Desser &#8211; the International Membership Manager who was close with Russell &#8211; mentioned, &#8220;What if we do the Rick Russell award?&#8221; The recognition program originally started out with three awards, also including &#8220;The Hall of Legacy&#8221; and &#8220;The Hall of Honor.&#8221;  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Rick Russell award is given for heart. The recipient of this award is a man who is recognized not so much for the jobs and titles he has held, but rather for the way he has held them. It is a deeply personal man who is rich in quality relationships with many men. The gold standard example of the behavior is the namesake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is often awarded to a man or men at an Internationals gathering. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The recipient&#8217;s name is added to the award permanently, with the actual award being handed off to the following year\u2019s recipient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The recipient is selected by a committee comprised of International leadership, including the current MDI President.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:32px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Honored<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The 2023 Year &#8211; Honored Men:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/dave-smith-on-the-road-to-the-rick-russell-award\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Dave Smith<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/jim-ellis-on-the-road-to-the-rick-russell-award\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Jim Ellis <\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Through the Years:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>2004 \u2013 Joe Copp<br>2005 \u2013 Scott Bye<br>2005 \u2013 Rich O\u2019Keeffe<br>2006 \u2013 Len Guida<br>2007 \u2013 Michael Fowlkes<br>2008 \u2013 Ronald Tremblay<br>2009 \u2013 Kurt Thorne<br>2010 \u2013 Matt Lyons<br>2010 \u2013 Geoff Tomlinson<br>2011 \u2013 Howard Spierer<br>2012 \u2013 David Turk<br>2013 \u2013 Charles Gjers<br>2014 \u2013 Bob Irwin<br>2015 &#8211; None<br>2016 \u2013 Sandy Peisner<br>2017 \u2013 Olaf Krop<br>2018 &#8211; Stan Snow<br>2019 &#8211; None<br>2020 &#8211; Denis Moreau<br>2021 &#8211; Greg Aldrich<br>2022 &#8211; None<br>2023 &#8211; Jim Ellis<br>2023 &#8211; Dave Smith<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since 2004, Mentor Discover Inspire has honored men with the &#8220;Rick Russell Memorial Membership Award,&#8221; presented to those men who have displayed a strong sense of heart in the work they have done within the MDI organization and within the lives of the men. The description of the award and the man that bears its [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":25218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[101,92],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-best-of-2023","category-rick-russell-award"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Rick Russell - The Man and the Award - MDI - Mentoring men to live with excellence - Men&#039;s Teams<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rick Russell - The Man and the Award - MDI - Mentoring men to live with excellence - Men&#039;s Teams\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Since 2004, Mentor Discover Inspire has honored men with the &#8220;Rick Russell Memorial Membership Award,&#8221; presented to those men who have displayed a strong sense of heart in the work they have done within the MDI organization and within the lives of the men. The description of the award and the man that bears its [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MDI - Mentoring men to live with excellence - Men&#039;s Teams\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-02-23T05:40:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-11-30T20:53:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rickrussell.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"550\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Guest Writer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Guest Writer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Guest Writer\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/#\/schema\/person\/c4c526dcf5afec353c5d87667345fb88\"},\"headline\":\"Rick Russell &#8211; The Man and the Award\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-02-23T05:40:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-30T20:53:30+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/\"},\"wordCount\":947,\"commentCount\":4,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rickrussell.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Best of 2023\",\"Rick Russell Award\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/\",\"name\":\"Rick Russell - The Man and the Award - MDI - Mentoring men to live with excellence - Men&#039;s Teams\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rickrussell.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-02-23T05:40:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-30T20:53:30+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rickrussell.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rickrussell.jpg\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":550},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Rick Russell &#8211; The Man and the Award\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/\",\"name\":\"MDI - Mentoring men to live with excellence - Men&#039;s Teams\",\"description\":\"Mentor - Discover - Inspire - Men&#039;s Teams\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MDI - Mentoring men to live with excellence - Men&#039;s Teams\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/logo-mdi.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/logo-mdi.svg\",\"width\":241,\"height\":109,\"caption\":\"MDI - Mentoring men to live with excellence - Men&#039;s Teams\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/#\/schema\/person\/c4c526dcf5afec353c5d87667345fb88\",\"name\":\"Guest Writer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ce2afca1a9600091c243a0cc80dfc983?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ce2afca1a9600091c243a0cc80dfc983?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Guest Writer\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/author\/guestwriter\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Rick Russell - The Man and the Award - MDI - Mentoring men to live with excellence - Men&#039;s Teams","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Rick Russell - The Man and the Award - MDI - Mentoring men to live with excellence - Men&#039;s Teams","og_description":"Since 2004, Mentor Discover Inspire has honored men with the &#8220;Rick Russell Memorial Membership Award,&#8221; presented to those men who have displayed a strong sense of heart in the work they have done within the MDI organization and within the lives of the men. The description of the award and the man that bears its [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/","og_site_name":"MDI - Mentoring men to live with excellence - Men&#039;s Teams","article_published_time":"2023-02-23T05:40:09+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-11-30T20:53:30+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":550,"url":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rickrussell.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Guest Writer","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Guest Writer","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/"},"author":{"name":"Guest Writer","@id":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/#\/schema\/person\/c4c526dcf5afec353c5d87667345fb88"},"headline":"Rick Russell &#8211; The Man and the Award","datePublished":"2023-02-23T05:40:09+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-30T20:53:30+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/"},"wordCount":947,"commentCount":4,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rickrussell.jpg","articleSection":["Best of 2023","Rick Russell Award"],"inLanguage":"en-CA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/","url":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/","name":"Rick Russell - The Man and the Award - MDI - Mentoring men to live with excellence - Men&#039;s Teams","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rickrussell.jpg","datePublished":"2023-02-23T05:40:09+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-30T20:53:30+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-CA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rickrussell.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rickrussell.jpg","width":1080,"height":550},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/rick-russell-the-man-and-the-award\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Rick Russell &#8211; The Man and the Award"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/","name":"MDI - Mentoring men to live with excellence - Men&#039;s Teams","description":"Mentor - Discover - Inspire - Men&#039;s Teams","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/#organization","name":"MDI - Mentoring men to live with excellence - Men&#039;s Teams","url":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/logo-mdi.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/logo-mdi.svg","width":241,"height":109,"caption":"MDI - Mentoring men to live with excellence - Men&#039;s Teams"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/#\/schema\/person\/c4c526dcf5afec353c5d87667345fb88","name":"Guest Writer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ce2afca1a9600091c243a0cc80dfc983?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ce2afca1a9600091c243a0cc80dfc983?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Guest Writer"},"url":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/author\/guestwriter\/"}]}},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rickrussell.jpg",1080,550,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rickrussell-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rickrussell-300x153.jpg",300,153,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rickrussell-768x391.jpg",768,391,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rickrussell-1024x521.jpg",1024,521,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rickrussell.jpg",1080,550,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rickrussell.jpg",1080,550,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Guest Writer","author_link":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/author\/guestwriter\/"},"uagb_comment_info":4,"uagb_excerpt":"Since 2004, Mentor Discover Inspire has honored men with the &#8220;Rick Russell Memorial Membership Award,&#8221; presented to those men who have displayed a strong sense of heart in the work they have done within the MDI organization and within the lives of the men. The description of the award and the man that bears its&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24990","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24990"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24990\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28590,"href":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24990\/revisions\/28590"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mentordiscoverinspire.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}