When business gets on board with a holiday charity like Toys for Tots, the benefits go beyond happy kid smiles.
So says Devon Reese, vice president at Becker General Contractors Inc. The company sent a 15-member management team out to build shelving at a warehouse where the toys collect. And while management hammers and saws, rank-and-file employees get involved answering telephone request lines and filling toy orders.
The experience yields warm fuzzies all around.
After working together on the project, Reese says, "You see your employees in a different way," And, it builds a sense of camaraderie among the employees.
Plus, the company as a whole benefits from good PR. Becker General joined with the Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce to sponsor a benefit breakfast for Toys for Tots, which put its name on the event flyer.
"We've gotten more out of it than we've put in," says Reese. "When you get involved with charities, you have to believe in the cause. Then you get some enthusiasm. And when you get your hands dirty with a cause, it's easier to see where your money goes than when you just write a check."
In the construction trades, the employee base is skewed to young men who are at the age of raising families.
"So our industry seems to gravitate to charities that involve children," says Reese.
"In fact, some employees in our own company may be applicants to Toys for Tots."
Meanwhile, other employees may want to donate toys. At Becker General, a Toys for Tots flyer goes into paycheck envelopes and a collection barrel stands in the lobby.
Other companies do their part in the charity program. DP Partners donated the warehouse space on Longley Lane while 84 Lumber gave building materials for the shelving, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car provides a van for toy pick up.
The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve coordinates the Toys for Tots annual program, which gives new toys at Christmas to under-privileged children in the Reno-Sparks community.
