La Salle grad Dennis Michael Moffitt ’93 the owner of Dennis Moffitt Painting (DMP) has become something of a community organizer in Wakefield, Rhode Island – a positive Pied Piper who rounds up business people in the building and materials trades and gets them to donate their time, talent and treasure to a focused project for a person or family in need.

“Until very recently DMP would donate to various charities that would help those in need,” said Mike, a Californian by birth whose grandfather attended La Salle Academy many, many years before Mike’s father Dennis moved to Modesto.  “Now we have helped to create something, DMP Makeover, that has gotten the entire community involved.”

“My father sacrificed to give his sons a good high school education and the chance to play hockey both in California and Rhode Island.  He also taught us about helping others,” said the former La Salle defenseman and baseball pitcher and catcher. 

“We were on skates by the time we were 5-years-old and we are still playing – me in the men’s league at URI with a couple of the Gaffney boys, Steve and James who probably graduated in mid-2000s.  I stay in touch a group of about 50 La Salle grads via Facebook – it is interesting to know what they are doing with their lives,” said Mike.

“Of my former teammates, most notably I stay in touch with Pat Lyons (Class of 1992) whom I followed to Iona College where he took me under his wing and where we both continued our hockey playing days.  He went on to become the Athletic Director at Iona,” said Mike.  (Editor’s note: At the time of his appointment in the summer of 2004, Lyons became the youngest Division I Athletic Director in the country.)

Mike has been married to Sara Butler Moffitt for 10 years and they have three daughters, Ava 7, Mia 3 and Lila 1, whom he says are more likely to be soccer players rather than skaters.

“Looking back at my La Salle days, I have come to realize the effort and sacrifice that parents make to send their sons and daughters to such a special place is extraordinary,” said Mike.  “The school as a whole, and the teachers individually, help create well-rounded people who are equipped to handle the challenges of life.  At the risk of leaving more than a few out, teachers who had a lasting impact on me were Brother Gerard, Mrs. Nunes and Mr. Ramsey.”

Returning to the subject of creating DMP Makeover in 2009, Mike talked about the remarkable growth it has achieved in just one year.

“When I decided to do something specific within the community last year rather than giving to a broad-based charity, I had no idea that it would become so successful,” said Mike.  “Last year when we said that DMP would donate an interior paint job valued at $7500 and sent out flyers around the community and called customers seeking the names of people who could use our help, I had no idea that so many other companies would join the effort.  Within six weeks we had approximately $50,000 in pledged work and materials.”

“With the exposure of last year’s makeover, this year we had 200 entries,” continued Mike.  “I knew immediately which project we were going to do even though it was much more extensive than last year which was primarily cosmetic in nature.  This year’s project was a total makeover – turning a two-car garage into a handicap-assessable apartment for a wheelchair-bound 11 year-old boy.”

“My wife said there was no way we were going to do it and I said there was no way we were not going to do it!, exclaimed Mike.  “Once again, the builders, suppliers and contractors got involved and from the day we started on November 7 until it was finished on December 23, just in time for Christmas, it was a community effort – an effort that is valued at approximately $100,000.  The DMP Makeover is getting new participants each year – we now have tile layers and plumbers involved and we anticipate those with the shared belief system of giving back to our community joining us going forward.  For me, that belief system was instilled in me by my family and was reinforced and grew at La Salle.”

To see an online video of the 2010 DMP Makeover click here