Welcome to “The Good Stuff”, where we highlight positive news and ways that employees of NAED-member companies go above and beyond to give back to their communities! If you have some “Good Stuff” that you would like to share with tED magazine, find out how below.
In this issue, we feature City Electric Supply.
APEX, N.C. — Electrical wholesale distributor City Electric Supply (CES) Apex raised over $6,000 for the Make-A-Wish® foundation. As a reward for the contribution, CES held a celebration at the branch in North Carolina for raising the most funds out of any other CES location across the country.
“We are absolutely thrilled to partner with CES Apex. Through the care and support of everyone at CES, more than $6000 was raised to grant life-changing wishes,” said Make-A-Wish CEO Chris Winter. “We are especially proud of our friends at CES Apex for being the top CES fundraising location in the country. What an amazing accomplishment!”
When the Make-A-Wish partnership kicked off, CES Cares Social Impact Manager Karen Gray searched for the most effective way to present the campaign to CES employees. She wanted the initiative to raise donations to feel fun and accessible to branches as they incorporated it into their day-to-day business.
“CES wanted to launch a campaign that allowed everyone in the company to feel like they could help with the partnership in some way,” said Gray. “The Make-A-Wish fundraiser kicked off by challenging each branch to raise $500. We gave the branches a few suggestions of ways they could raise money, and their immediate excitement blew me away.”
“It’s an amazing feeling to be receiving this recognition for raising money for Make-A-Wish,” said Branch Manager Qwon Reid. “My team here is the greatest— they are compassionate, and they love a challenge. They were so excited to do their part when the fundraiser was extended to the branches, and they carried it through to the end.”
How did they raise the money? By striving to go above and beyond. Reid reached out to his family and started contacting some of his customers, who also happen to be his best friends.
“I challenged my guys to reach out to customers, their families, and friends—and it blossomed from there,” said Reid. “We did a lot of research about Make-A-Wish so that when we approached someone, we knew what we were talking about. Then we got on the phones, got in front of our customers who came in each day, and told our story.”
Through a ripple effect, CES customers started reaching out to their family and friends on behalf of Reid and the team without hesitation.
“During those conversations asking for help, many shared how they were involved with Make-A-Wish in the past,” said Reid. “They knew kids in the program, including some who had wishes granted. They wanted to continue that road and be impactful. My customers could see how important the fundraiser was to myself and my team. I can’t thank them enough for all they have done to make this possible for our Apex branch.”
While community members showed up to support the Apex branch, other CES employees showed up to offer their congratulations as well.
“I was impressed by how the team dug in to make a difference for children in our community,” said District Manager Jay Lassiter. “Everyone should know that the CES Apex team puts in this level of work and care for their customers every day.”
At the end of the day, Reid and his team in Apex knew that the Make-A-Wish children would be the real winners if they worked hard towards the goals they set.
“In the end, the most important part of this is the lives we’ve touched by doing our part to help grant wishes,” said Reid. “Thank you to my customers and the community of Apex for your support, generosity, and understanding the importance of what we wanted to do.”
Find more “Good Stuff” articles here on tEDmag.com
tED wants to know about your “Good Stuff”. If you work with someone who is helping other people, or a group of co-workers that’s creating better outcomes, we want to know about it.
Please send your “Good Stuff” to Editorial & Web Assistant, Marie Jakle at mjakle@naed.org and Online Editor, Nicky Herron at nherron@naed.org. Send us details, names, and photos if you have them.
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