This article was written by Erika Lehman, Marketing Communications Program Manager at eCoast.
As the holidays grow closer, eCoast is buzzing with holiday cheer. Trays of Christmas cookies magically appear next to the printer, a festive tree sparkles beside the upstairs break room, and the business unit manager whistles classic holiday tunes as he makes his way to a morning meeting.
But amidst the twinkling lights and cheerful songs, there is something even more magical in the air…the spirit of giving and an overwhelming desire to pay it forward. Perhaps it was the first big snowfall of the season, or the fact that a holiday vacation is just around the corner, but eCoast employees are putting their cares aside and helping those in need.
Just a few weeks ago, eCoast’s “Wish upon a Star” tree was adorned with star ornaments listing a child’s age and several items he or she wanted for Christmas. Within a week, most of the stars were gone, as eCoast employees jumped at the chance to make a local child’s Christmas dreams come true. As I dropped off my bag of trendy pink (and practical) pre-teen wardrobe items I couldn’t help but ask Judi, the woman spearheading the endeavor, how things were going.
“My cube is stuffed, my trunk is full, and I took home a car-load of stuff on Friday!” she said, gesturing to her surroundings which were becoming to resemble an off-shore Santa’s workshop (perhaps Santa should look into our outsourced marketing solutions too…).
In addition to giving Santa a run for his money, eCoast employees found the time to coordinate numerous other charitable donations and fundraising events including:
- Putting together a care package for local soldiers who will be spending Christmas in Iraq
- A week-long canned food drive to benefit Gerry’s Food Pantry in Rochester, New Hampshire
- A team of set-builders and de-constructers to help with Spaulding High School’s Christmas production
- A fundraiser to benefit a local cancer foundation founded by an eCoast employee
In addition, teams are already in place for the 12th annual Penguin Plunge to benefit the Special Olympics of New Hampshire. A dedicated (and perhaps a little crazy) team of eCoast employees are actively seeking sponsors to support them as they dive into the frigid cold Atlantic Ocean on February 9th, 2010.
Perhaps the cold has made us a bit nuts up here in the northeast …but we have a wicked good time giving back! With that in mind, here are a few notable endeavors other organizations are doing this holiday season and throughout the year:
- Target will be donating $1.25 million to the Salvation Army
- American Airlines helped the Tulsa Salvation Army meet its Angel Tree toy goal
- HP’s Create Changes Campaign enables online shoppers to donate 4% of their total purchase to one of seven charities (it may not be a specific Christmas charity, but with all the holiday technology purchases, this is yet another way to give back this holiday season).
With the season of giving upon us, it would be great to see what other corporations are doing to give back these next two weeks. Tell us what you’re up to and spread some holiday cheer!
For more information about eCoast’s contributions to the community, please visit www.ecoastcares.com.
