Community Involvement
Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Together We Rise Community Service Day
Childhood memories matter! Every child deserves to feel celebrated and loved. That’s why we are partnering with Together We Rise to host a community service project decorating Birthday Boxes for a local foster care center. Our goal is to strengthen the community by helping foster youth build their self-esteem.
Please join us Thursday, June 30th as we sponsor 100 Birthday Boxes! As a team, we will build the boxes and fill them with party supplies, then decorate each one to donate to a foster child! Click here to reply to our Facebook Event.
What is a Birthday Box? A Birthday Box is an all inclusive kit that helps children in foster care celebrate their special day. When children enter the foster care system the immediate priority is their safety. In the mix of the chaos of entering a new place or group home, children’s birthdays can get overlooked. The goal behind the Birthday Box is to ensure that every child in foster care can feel seen and appreciated on their birthday.
Birthday Boxes help children in foster care as well as their foster parents, group homes, and social workers. Regardless of where a child is placed, a Birthday Box is simple to gift and comes with everything you need to have a birthday celebration for a child. Birthdays are truly special, and as a child, those celebratory moments are magical.
Together We Rise is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to change the way children experience the foster care system in America. Through a network of individuals, corporate partners, hundreds of foster agencies, social workers, CASA advocates, and other groups. Together We Rise is able to bring enriching programs to foster youth across the nation.
Breast Cancer Awareness
Each year during October, C&L Ward employees participate in numerous activities to raise money for the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. Some of these fundraising efforts include: themed t-shirt sales for the cause, in-office bake sales, a month-long competition called Penny Wars, 50/50 raffles, popcorn sales and pizza lunches. In 2017, we added the Real Men Wear Pink campaign. We had been asked by the American Cancer Society to have one of our male associates participate as our community representative. We had multiple employees volunteer, so we actually had a team of several people wearing pink and getting pledges throughout the month of October. Click here to donate.
Stuff the Truck
Once per year, we hold an event to ‘Stuff a Truck’ for those most in need. The goal is to fill one or more of the C&L Ward’s trucks with non-perishable canned goods and other food, toiletries, warm clothing, blankets and household items. Monetary donations are accepted, as well. The donations from our employees and members of the community are then given to a local non-profit with the purpose of helping the less fortunate.
- 2018 Total pounds of food and essential items collected: 3,027
- 2017 Total pounds of food and essential items collected: 2,899
- 2016 Total pounds of food and essential items collected: 2,653
- 2015 Total pounds of food and essential items collected: 1,482
- 2014 Total pounds of food and essential items collected: 415
Shingles for Shelter
C&L Ward gives the gift of shelter during the holiday season. We give away a free installed asphalt roof to a homeowner who has fallen on hard times. We understand the true value of roofing and that not all can afford to replace a failing system. ABC Supply Co. inc. and Metro Sanitation have partnered with us to donate all of the shingles for the new roof and the dumpster for the installation. Click here to view our Entry Form.
Owens Corning Roof Deployment
Owens Corning and Platinum Preferred Contractors want to give something back to the troops that bravely serve our country, and the families who support them. The Roof Deployment Project is our way of building for the future together. John C. of Mt. Morris, MI, shown below, was the 2017 recipient of the project. He is a third-generation United State Air Force Veteran, no longer in need of a new roof. Click here for article news coverage by ABC12.
