At a time when the divisiveness and political rancor in our country has polarized the collective psyche, the ability to reach out with gestures of comfort may be one of the few binding principles we can all agree upon. And regardless of your political, social or religious persuasion, we intuitively recognize that providing for others who are in need because of poverty, medical circumstances or various degrees of disadvantage has a cleansing effect on our souls.
It matters not if you pray to God Almighty or the Almighty Dollar…sharing one or both has a way of projecting the peace of mind you cherish onto others—sometimes temporarily, but often with lasting impact.
What follows are examples of giving bestowed by members of our office technology dealer family. The methods—from simply cutting a check, swinging a golf club at a charity event or even paying $5 to wear jeans on a Friday—matter little. But they serve as a reminder for all to find our better selves in uniting to help and consider that for all we have, someone else has much less.
Each year, TGI Office Automation of Brooklyn, New York, allocates up to $500,000 per year to support various causes, many of which are championed by the dealer’s customers. “We have built relationships with them and believe in their mission,” states Heather Davis, marketing coordinator. “TGI, our clients, employees, friends and family always provide generous donations of time and funds towards the causes.”
The dealer is an annual supporter of several causes. It has helped raise more than $140,000 for Palm Beach College’s “Swing for Student Success” golf tournament, which funds STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) scholarships. During the course of 13 years, the tournaments have generated $1.8 million, which has funded more than 1,000 scholarships.
TGI is also a significant contributor to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program, using each of its locations as a drop-off point. The dealer also donated a gift each time clients/prospects scheduled an appointment with TGI to discuss their office solution needs, resulting in nearly 4,000 toy donations in six years.
“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.”
Shannon Alder
Additionally, it participated in Broward Children’s Center’s 14th annual Miles for Smiles Walk & Festival, which raised $54,000. The event raised funds for the medical, educational, recreational and therapeutic services provided by the Center, a 15-year client of TGI.
“I personally went to tour their facility and meet their child residents and staff,” Davis said. “I was moved by what I saw. By the temperament of the children, you would never know the turmoil they have been though. Everyone was so inspiring. Their medical needs seem insurmountable, but everyone is incredibly positive.”
Back in 2015, an employee of ACP in Denver alerted his organization to the efforts of Warren Village, an organization whose mission is to ensure that low-income, single-parent families can achieve sustainable, personal and economic self-sufficiency. According to Chris Williams, director of marketing, ACP found that Warren Village’s values and goals strongly aligned with the dealer’s culture and value sets. That led ACP to create an annual golf tournament, which thus far has raised more than $85,000 to further Warren Village’s mission.
“Our prayers for others flow more easily than those for ourselves. This shows we are made to live by charity.”
C.S. Lewis
“At ACP, corporate social responsibility is one of our foundational pillars,” Williams noted. “We believe that every company has a duty to provide support to local causes aimed at pouring back into their community. This is why we love working with organizations like Warren Village, who have demonstrated their passion for aiding those in need.”
The giving spirit was one fostered by the namesake of Gordon Flesch Company, headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, and has filtered down to the third generation of leadership. The company created the GFC Foundation, which has donated more than $2 million to causes since its inception. Among its benefactors:
The Iowa Cancer Coalition is a non-profit offering financial assistance to cancer patients who are residents of Iowa County, Wisconsin, providing assistance to those families with financial hardships.
Covey assists people with disabilities to more fully engage with their community. GFC’s most-recent donation will aid the Transitory Skills Program, which educates individuals with special needs and their parents on how to transition into independent living.
The CP Center is a non-profit delivering innovative therapy and services for residents with physical and developmental disabilities. The Center will leverage GFC’s donation to upgrade technology and provide new learning software and adaptive technology hardware for its programs.
Ohio Sled Hockey provides the opportunity for individuals with physical limitations to learn about and participate in the sport of hockey. GFC’s donation will provide equipment and scholarships for new participants.
The YMCA is an organization that is near and dear to the heart of Lake Business Products President and CEO Terri Cain. A member of its local board of directors, Cain made a significant donation for the renaming rights to the welcome center that is part of a collaboration that includes a Lake County YMCA, Willoughby-Eastlake School District and the City of Willoughby Senior Center. The complex, known as Union Village, will have individual and shared spaces, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony is slated for this month.
Cain is a huge fan of the YMCA, and laments that many citizens are unaware of the services it provides. “When you think of the YMCA, you think of swimming and working out,” she said. “But they provide after-school care for low-income families. During the summer, they have a reading program so that kids don’t fall behind in their reading. They offer leadership programs for all age levels, a senior program. There are just so many things the YMCA has to offer. The beauty of the YMCA is you only pay what you can afford. It serves the whole community, not just one aspect of it.”
Another organization supported by Lake Business Products is the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), which provides aid, comfort and housing to families with sick children. The dealer pays a fee to be able to work with a chef provided by the charity to cook meals for impacted families. The dealer also donates food and supplies to RMHC through various team-building exercises.
“There is a debt of service due from every man to his country, proportioned to the bounties which nature and fortune have measured to him.”
Thomas Jefferson
Lake Business Products also holds an annual Giving Tree during the Christmas season, in which the employees select a cause that is then supported by donations. Past recipients include the Lake County Humane Society, the Forbes House, and a local family that lost everything to a house fire.
“There is not a man of us who does not at times need a helping hand to be stretched out to him, and then shame upon him who will not stretch out the helping hand to his brother.”
Theodore Roosevelt
“It’s the right thing to do. It shows the integrity of the company and says that we’re part of the community,” Cain said. “I’ve always felt a social responsibility to do whatever I can to make the community a little bit better.”
When tragedy strikes a member of a dealer’s family, it impacts the entire organization. Proven IT is a prime example of how a company can rally around a cause of personal consequence and be inspired to help others who are similarly afflicted.
The Cameron Can Foundation was founded to assist an employee’s son who is battling chronic, long-term hydrocephalus. The program was then expanded to assist several children in the Chicagoland area.
When Stevie Bajenski, the 17-year-old son of employee Karen Bajenski, passed away due to complications while undergoing heart surgery, Proven IT created a scholarship in his name, Do It Stevie’s Way Foundation. “Stevie’s memory is a reminder to all of us to live life with passion and to live in the moment,” noted Greg Bruno, director of marketing.
Between the longstanding relationship with the Cosich family and support from employees, Proven IT has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Sertoma Centre during its Big Events the past five years. Sertoma is a not-for-profit agency serving Chicagoland residents with mental illness, developmental and/or intellectual disabilities.
Additionally, the company’s employees have collected donations over the past 15 years for the annual Candy Days event benefitting Misericordia, an organization that provides a full continuum of care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
This is just a snapshot of the many organizations that have been uplifted by the dealer community. Part two of our look at charitable endeavors will appear in a future issue. If you have some information you would like to share about your organization’s charitable endeavors, please send them (along with a photo from one of the events) to me at erik@enxmag.com. We’re hoping to share more of your stories as the holidays approach. Giving is needed 365 days a year, but the holidays are a great time to ponder the blessings we have and remind us that gifts reward the recipient as well as the giver.
