Eighty (80) people will be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes today in the U.S. They will hear the words, “You have diabetes,” and learn that this life sentence of finger pricking, accounting and adjusting food intake, measuring exercise and stress impacts, giving themselves insulin injections – sometimes in the middle of the night, and facing the real fear of death every day will change their life as they know it forever.
That’s why we are happy to join the fight for a cure. We have donated an auction package for the upcoming 15th Annual Beach Ball Gala hosted by the Northwest Pennsylvania branch of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). The event takes place on Saturday, March 24, at the Ambassador Center in Erie, Pa., and it will feature a “Pirates of the Cure-ibbean” theme. One of our staff will be volunteering at this event, and we are all excited to help raise funds for the national research that is being done to help find a cure for type 1 diabetes.
Our commitment to giving back extends further than participating in local events. We know that as a national company, our corporate giving must impact neighborhoods across the U.S., where all our customers live and work.
You are probably familiar with the ABC hit TV show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. We had the privilege to help furnish Logan’s Locker Room when the Hall family had their house made over in an episode last spring. We were very thrilled to be a small part of the project that transformed the Hall family’s lives!
ESPN also broadcast an extreme makeover of their own in a show called Rise Up. To give the Athletics Department a hand, ESPN organized for Chicago’s William H. Dyett High School to be made over. When they called us looking for some seating solutions, we were excited to make the donation to help this school and their students out. You can watch the big reveal and see just how excited the students are to have a new place for sports and recreation.
What’s more, after their school was given a fresh new look this fall, a team of faculty and students went into the community to help build a playground as a way to pay it forward. Now, that warms our hearts and gives us more reason to keep giving in the future.
While we cannot support every cause, we do like to take advantage of the giving opportunities that arise that meet our own company’s vision for a brighter world. Good fortune has blessed us in many ways, and we are eager to pay that good fortune forward – just as those high school students in Chicago. Donating to local youth organizations and allowing our staff to sell their children’s school or sports team fundraisers to their coworkers helps create a charitable work environment. We hope you’ll join us in giving back to your community.
Here are a few online resources that may inspire you to get involved:
www.volunteermatch.org
www.charitynavigator.org
www.serve.gov
