MWF receives a $2,000,000 matching gift pledge to fund museum project

Special to Leader-Press

The National Mounted Warfare Foundation (NMWF) announced that has received a $2,000,000 matching gift pledge from Dr. Richard Redalen of Colleyville to help fund the construction of the National Mounted Warrior Museum.
The NMWF is a nonprofit organization tasked with planning, designing, fundraising for, building, and operating a state-of-the-art, technologically advanced  21st Century museum, the National  Mounted Warrior Museum, which will tell the stories of the Soldiers, families, and units that have served over the years on Fort Hood.   
Lieutenant General (Retired) Paul Funk, President and CEO of the NMWF, said the matching gift brings the Mounted Warrior Museum closer to reality.
“We are very grateful to Dr. Redalen for his generous pledge,” said General Funk. “Rick is a great friend of this project, and his pledge brings us closer to breaking ground and beginning construction.  Rick cares deeply about our soldiers, veterans, and family members, and knows that our museum will help preserve the legacy of those who have sacrificed so much for our freedom,” Funk added.
Bob Crouch, NMWF Vice President said that Redalen’s pledge is significant and brings the NMWF to 75 percent  of their Phase I capital campaign goal of $37 million.
“Because Dr. Redalen’s gift is a matching pledge, we hope to turn his $2 million into $4 million,” said Crouch. “For every dollar that we raise over the next three months, Dr. Redalen will match it dollar for dollar up to a total of $2 million. We are confident that his leadership will help us attract other supporters and donors and encourage the community as a whole to embrace this great project – a project that is of vital importance to the Central Texas region. The National Mounted Warrior Museum will become a destination activity that will attract visitors from across Texas and around the country, Crouch said. ” 
“We would like to thank other donors that have supported us to date,” Crouch said, “including H.E.B., the Killeen Economic Development Corporation, Union State Bank, the Copperas Cove Industrial Fund, Monteith Abstract and Title Company, Killeen Power Sports, and many, many others. We are also grateful to our strategic partners – the U.S. Army Center of Military History and our architect, Huckabee, Inc. – who have all made significant contributions to the project through their design work and development of products supporting the capital campaign.”
Phase I of the 42,000 square foot National Mounted Warrior Museum is projected for completion in 2020 and will feature 25,000 square feet of permanent exhibit space and 7,000 square feet of temporary / opportunity exhibit space. Future phases include an interpretive walking trail and outdoor amphitheater. The museum will be located outside of the main gate of Fort Hood between the Marvin Leath Visitor’s Center and the 1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment stables, and will be fully accessible to the public.
Rick R. Redalen, M.D. is the founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer of Quest Global Benefits, a Colleyville, Texas based health care benefits firm that is dedicated to assisting employees reach optimal health outcomes while holding down costs for their employers.
Dr. Redalen received his Doctorate in Medicine from the University of Nebraska after receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree in Medicine from the University of North Dakota. During that time he received a scholastic scholarship from the University of North Dakota and medical scholarships in orthopedic surgery and internal medicine from the Mayo Clinic. 
His medical career has spanned over 40 years and has been spent in just about all areas of medicine, including family practice, general surgery, obstetrics and emergency medicine. He has spent time teaching surgery in the Department of Family Practice at the University of Minnesota.
Dr. Redalen is widely known known as the father of modern medical information technology. He founded ExitCare LLC in 1996 and turned the company into the largest medical information technology company in the world. At the time he sold the company, Exitcare’s proprietary software was in use in the majority of hospitals in the United States and across the globe. 
Visit http://nmwfoundation.org for more information, to make a donation, or to order a memorial brick.