Whether your efforts are to encourage employees to be active in your community or your business wants to reach out to those in need, donations and charity work are a fantastic way to show you care. In every community, there are people in need. And, in these communities, businesses like yours can make a difference. Here are some reasons why YOU should be that difference.
Understanding the community concept teaches that you must do things to keep it healthy no matter the setting. These insights are supported and managed by people feeling that they belong somewhere. And this comes with accepting each other and the diversity of those around you. This community understanding makes us responsible for those around us. In turn, this community responsibility not only aids those in need, but it assists everyone influenced by any actions in that community.
Donations and charity work are only a couple of ways that make us more responsible in our community. And, building trust in our community is not only a requirement but also the best way to maintain any community. This is why we, as a company, are always looking to help out in our neighborhood and surrounding areas. By reaching into our community and participating in networking opportunities for organizations, we can see how much our brand resonates with others. We also find how our brand reflects in our community.
Here are a couple of examples of our recent donations!
Cranedale Designs
We sent two types of plastic, engraved name tags. One was a small name tag with either a first and last name or a company name. The other type were circle custom shapes with the amount donors had given to the project. Each name tag type was needed in four colors.
Carol King, Owner of Cranedale Designs, said, “The donor board name tags represent everyone who designed, supplied building material and helped to build the tiny houses in a settlement in my town. My son is on the board of the tiny house community. He had a fundraiser, and one of the people who work for the tiny house community said they needed a donor board to honor those who took the time to make the little community possible. I am an artist, and I said I would love to do that as a contribution to the community.”
“The inspiration, of course, was that it was a tiny house community,” King explained of the exhibit. I thought it would be fun if each donor had their own little tiny house. I struggled to find a way to put the names on the little houses. There are 208 names, and stamping them into the clay seemed like a huge amount of work. It was already a lot of work to make each little house. I (decided I) needed four distinctive colors to represent the levels of donation. (Coller Industries) had the best looking variations in color.”
This remarkable pet rescue also received a donation of plastic, engraved name tags. They went all out with upgrades like rounded corners and beveled edges, as well as the deluxe magnets (our most popular fastener)! These tags are worn by adopters, visitors, donors and other staff members so that they are quickly identified, and the tags create a welcoming environment.
Christopher Kraus, Chief Executive Officer of Big Dog Ranch Rescue, said, “Our organization’s mission is to save 5,000 dogs every year, to heal and place them with loving families, and to educate people about the proper care for dogs and the importance of spaying and neutering. We will end dog homelessness through education, sterilization and legislation.”
“Big Dog Ranch Rescue has now rescued more than 37,000 dogs and united countless families with their new forever friends. We also believe in giving back to our community through education and support. From a new Veteran Service Dog Program to visits to nursing homes, from teaching the importance of spay neutering to the next generation to helping seniors care for their pets when they are unable, Big Dog Ranch Rescue is here for our neighbors. Dog rescue is a 24/7 calling. We won’t rest until every dog has a loving family, and we end dog homelessness forever.”
Building a brand is something every business regularly focuses on. From excellent customer service to high-quality products, brand reputation is everything you do to retain customers. This reputation directly impacts your customer’s behavior toward your company. Making sure that you better your brand will help you stay in business. By producing high-quality interactions with clients and customers, you are building your brand reputation.
Donations and charity work are a great way to show your customers how much you care about their needs. Giving something away is about adding value to your community, no matter if it is time or money. The joy we get from giving our products to those in need helps us to better our brand by investing in our community. By building this reputation, we continue to help those around us and better our brand.
Building a brand is something every business regularly focuses on. From excellent customer service to high-quality products, brand reputation is everything you do to retain customers. This reputation directly impacts your customer’s behavior toward your company. Making sure that you better your brand will help you stay in business. By producing high-quality interactions with clients and customers, you are building your brand reputation.
Donations are a great way to show your customers how much you care about their needs. Giving something away is about adding value to your community, no matter if it is time or money. The joy we get from giving our products to those in need helps us to better our brand by investing in our community. By building this reputation, we continue to help those around us and also make our brand better.
We
recently had the opportunity to give back to an organization that
understands the importance of community service: the Red Barn
Academy.
Our mission here is to help reinvent broken lives from addiction and crime by teaching hard work, discipline and integrity in a farm setting.
Red Barn Academy is a therapeutic community for substance abusers and behavioral change. A therapeutic community is based on the concept of mutual self-help. The motto at Red Barn Academy is “each one, teach one.” Everyone in our community has gifts and knowledge to share; we can learn and improve together. A therapeutic community is a residential treatment model with increased responsibility and independence. Red Barn Academy is a highly structured organization run by staff and current students (“Peers”).
The Haws family had a desire to give something back to the community – the original plan [back in 1976] was to construct a working community farm, within the master planned development, to help keep the feeling of the farm in Farmington. After development of the farm, The Haws family experienced their own personal tragedy related to addiction. This life-altering family loss set in motion their desire to help other families and individuals struggling with addiction a place to turn for help.
Why name tags?
The Red Barn Academy received metal name tags with engraved names from Coller Industries to help them in their cause. Each name tag features a first and last name engraved in gold on a mirror red name tag. Rounded corners and a magnetic fastener complete the professional look for each name tag.
Justice Tiedermann has first-hand knowledge about how Red Barn Academy works. “I am a student here at Red Barn Academy. I’m a recovering meth addict, and I’ve been here for two years now. Before coming to Red Barn Academy, I was a liar and manipulator who could hardly stand the sight of myself, let alone hear my own name. However, being here at Red Barn and just practicing doing the next right thing and working hard, literally working for either our moving company, our construction, and our property management, and pushing through those hard days of either blistering heat or bitter cold, I have developed a sense of confidence to where I can look in the mirror and be proud of who I see, and wear my name on my chest with pride.”
Tiedermann, a Senior Student on the Corporate Development team, said, “This [name tag donation] will help us provide a sense of professionalism and confidence within our students.”
Like the Red Barn Academy, we believe that name tags help with professionalism and confidence. Developing a positive reputation requires consistency. The Red Barn Academy understands this should include wearing matching name tags. Wearing a name tag featuring your brand also helps your customers know that you have their best interest in mind. (P.S. We think they look great!).
Every year Coller Industries makes an effort to recognize its employees during the holiday season. In turn, this translates to donations to various parts of our community. So, we started donating to Granite Education Foundation, and to date, have given over $57,000. The annual contribution to GEF is one of the donations that we deem the most valuable. As employees here at Coller Industries, it is a delight knowing that our employer is so generous and giving to our community.
We are giving to the schools, the children, and most importantly, we are providing for our future. The knowledge that this money goes to help the children in our community is what keeps us giving. It isn’t about the money; it’s about the future of our kids and where they will lead us because they were able to obtain a good education.
GEF recipient Lisa Foster with Gary CollerGary Coller with GEF recipient Emily Lehnardt
“We donate because it’s the right thing to do,” said Gary Coller, Coller Industries’ President. “We do it for the children in our neighborhood. They make us more responsible in the community. And hopefully, our customers appreciate when they see that we give back.”
Well said, Gary! These donations make us more responsible, and also make us more aware of the needs in our communities. From needing name tags in school and other places of business to needing a helping hand to members of our community, people can always find Coller Industries in the act of giving.
The Coller family and their employees take pride in knowing we have reached out to our surrounding community. We will continue to do so in the hopes that we are helping our friends and neighbors. And we are also aiding in the education and celebration of our children.
Why Honor Teachers?
Research shows that students with high performing teachers can progress three times faster than students with low performing teachers. Effective educators can influence the climate of the entire school. Their commitment, passion, expertise and creativity are infectious. Students love them because they make learning fun and engaging. Administrators love them because they get results. Parents love them because they affirm their student’s potential.
In the face of increasing class sizes and insufficient funding and resources, the majority of Granite District teachers are dipping into their own pockets and their own time to bridge the gap for their students. Educators are finding progressive and engaging solutions to institutional problems and changing the world, one child at a time.
Being a professional educator is not an easy job, and sometimes it can even be thankless. But, thanks to these amazing teachers and administrators, public education continues to excel.
Whether it’s in your own school community or a neighboring Granite District School, we believe there is nothing more important than improving a student’s life. We strive to lift lives and assist in providing resources to bolster education by uniting individuals, organizations and the business community with the will, passion, expertise and resources needed to solve problems. We are dedicated to giving Granite District students a hand up. That’s a difference you can count on.
The foundation recognizes and honors superior educators, true classroom heroes, the men and women responsible for molding and preparing our children to meet the challenges of the 21st century. These individuals have a track record of improving student achievement, using innovative instructional strategies and making a difference in the lives of students. They are among a select few highlighted annually as Excel Outstanding Educators who are making a difference in Granite School District classrooms.
Each year, Granite Education Foundation supporters gather to recognize outstanding teachers, administrators and community members whose personal commitment and contribution impacts 68,000 students in the Granite School District. The Excel Award is given to nine teachers and one administrator that school administrators, colleagues or students nominate. Nominees make the presentations while enjoying dinner, silent and live auctions. These raise funds for valuable programs and services that GEF sponsors throughout the year.
A presenter asks each award recipient to join them on stage to receive their award. They were also given a $1,000 check and other generous gifts. Each Excel Award recipient received a sculpture, designed by local Utah sculptor, Matt Glenn. This sculpture comes in two parts. The bottom portion has the four Granite Education Foundation hand icons from their logo. They symbolize educate, give, volunteer and advocate. The top portion is a student’s hand reaching for a teacher’s hand. Recipients can remove this piece and turn it over so that the teacher’s hand extends up toward the student’s hand.
“I look forward to this every year, it’s an honor to be around great educators and dedicated professionals who support them,” said Gary.
“Educational awards, such as the GEF Excel Award, are awesome because children are the future,” said Hannah, Coller Industries’ Customer Service Manager. “Teachers are important and deserve this recognition for what they do for our children. Watching the videos of each teacher and their stories and how they make a difference in the kid’s lives was the best part of the evening.”
How We Show Gratitude & Appreciation
These are big words: gratitude, appreciation, community. And their meanings are even more significant! From product donations to monetary help, the time we spend investing in education, our children and our community means a great deal to us. Sometimes it isn’t about the name tags, it’s about helping our community.
We value education here at Coller Industries, and we want to make sure that everyone gets the education they need. This includes family, friends and neighbors alike. Making students a priority; from our community to you, donations create unity.
In a nutshell, “We donate money for clothes and shoes for the kids in the Granite School District. Then we get to honor these great teachers for their excellent work by presenting the award on behalf of Coller Industries and the Granite Education Foundation,” said Hannah.
Coller Industries is proud to be a part of this process. While our role is small in comparison to these educators, we are still happy that we get to take part. Our children’s education has a direct impact on our business as we like to focus on working in our community. Helping out our local community is a large part of what defines the generosity of Coller Industries Incorporated.
Saying Thank You to Granite Education Foundation
We believe in giving toward the education of our children and our future. And because of that, we have enjoyed receiving something back. Each year, as a thank you for our time and money, Granite Education Foundation has some of their school children write and send a personal thank you. We are always thrilled when our special letter arrives.
Every year around this time, Coller Industries receives a special package. Inside this package are not only handwritten thank you Valentines, but also lots and lots of love. We receive these cards due to our annual donations to the Granite Education Foundation. And every year, our hearts are filled with gratitude and appreciation for those in our community.
Included each year along with thank you cards from students and parents is a wonderful letter from the foundation:
“Hey, Valentine!
Exchanging heartfelt messages on Valentine’s Day is a well-loved tradition. While the earliest Valentines were little more than hastily scribbled notes, today we can choose from thousands of varieties, each designed for a specific relationship in our lives. A hundred years ago, only sweethearts exchanged Valentine’s Day cards, but the practice has spread to encompass friends, family, colleagues and supporters.
The Granite Education Foundation and students from throughout Granite School District wanted to express our heart felt thanks for your continued generosity and support. Enclosed you will find hand made Valentine’s Day cards that our students created with YOU in mind. In our opinion, YOU’RE AWESOME SAUCE, Valentine! Thanks for believing in our mission and for the extra boost you give students. We couldn’t accomplish what we do without YOU.
Thank you with all our heart!”
Other letters have also stated, “The Granite Education Foundation has been established to supplement the excellent programs in Granite District’s schools, to help provide the highest classroom opportunities for each child, and for teacher excellence awards. Know that you are helping dreams come true.”
Coller Industries also received a thank you letter from Brent Severe, CEO of the Granite Education Foundation. It read as follows:
“Thank you for investing in futures through your generous donation to the Granite Education Foundation for programs in Granite School District. Because of you, more students can pursue an education in an environment that cultivates excellence. Your generosity creates possibilities, and your kindness nurtures engaged learning which will enrich education opportunities for our youth.”
These actions we make each year fill our hearts with gratitude and appreciation for those around us. Those who strive every day to make a difference in the world. So, yes, we receive thank you cards. But we feel that we are the ones who should be the most grateful. And that, in essence, is why we give donations.
While our role is small in comparison to each of these educators, we are beyond happy that we have been able to take part in this fantastic award opportunity. And we want to say thank you to the GEF for all of the outstanding work they do for our education system here in Salt Lake City, Utah. Our community and children benefit every day from their kindness and dedication toward learning.
Coller Industries also donated metal name tags for the committee members to wear during the event. These laser engraved name tags are easy to use with magnetic fasteners.
What does a scout jamboree have to do with name tags? Well…
Glen Jean, West Virginia – The story starts in London, 1920. The first World Scout Jamboree was held from 30 July 1920 to 8 August 1920 and was hosted by the United Kingdom at Kensington Olympia in London. Since then, the jamboree has been held in various places around the world. But, the last time it was in the US was in 1967. This year, that all changed!
Albin Dearing, BSA
Contingent Troop 315 Assistant Scoutmaster, explains, “The first
World Scout Jamboree was organized by the Boy Scouts Association in
London. With exceptions of the war years, it has been held every four
years in different parts of the world. The 2019 World Jamboree will
be held at the Bechtel Summit Reserve in West Virginia. Over 45,000
scouts representing 152 countries will be attending.”
“Troop USA 315 is
a temporary troop of 36 scouts and four adult leaders put together
for the purpose of attending the 2019 World Scout Jamboree hosted
this year in West Virginia,” said Dearing. “The donation towards
our name tags will allow the scouts to learn each other’s names
faster as they make new friends and relationships.”
What is a World Scout Jamboree?
The World Scout
Jamboree is above all an educational event that brings together the
world’s young people to promote peace and mutual understanding and
to develop leadership and life skills.
The 24th World Scout
Jamboree will feature the hallmarks of past world jamboree programs,
such as the Global Development Village, special sustainability
initiatives, and the socialization elements that allow participants
to make lifelong friends from around the world.
From astronauts
to a local scouts, everyone is having fun with scouting activities.
Even name tags get a place in this year’s scout jamboree!
Dearing said, “Our
troop will be part of the USA Contingent going to the 2019 World
Scout Jamboree in West Virginia in July. 36 scouts and four adult
leaders will be part of our Troop USA 315. Since scouts from multiple
local units will be coming together for this adventure, we decided
the other day to get the boys name badges.”
Full-color logos
are genius when it comes to the professionalism of your business name
tags. And, with UV colors, bright gradients and images show up
vividly for everyone to see. All text is engraved into the two-color
plastic material. Choose from a large selection of sizes and other
custom options to make the best out of your branding.
Dearing is proud to
be a part of the scouting tradition. “We are Boy Scout Troop USA
315 from the Great Trail Council in Ohio,” he said. “The three
primary aims of scouting for today’s youth are growth in moral
strength and character, participating citizenship and development of
physical, mental, and emotional fitness. The mission of the Boy
Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and
moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values
of the Scout Oath and Scout Law.”
Donations are one way that makes us more responsible in our community. And, building trust in our community is not only a requirement but also the best way to maintain that community. Even when the need is small, like lanyards for a reading competition at an elementary, giving is all about the people you are helping.
Understanding our community needs teaches that no matter the setting, there are things to keep a constant focus on. And, while investing in the community by donating our products is one of our best forms of marketing, what we care about is the people.
Katrina Shewell, Grant Elementary Librarian, explains the program, “Our program is a reading incentive program that helps kids jump into reading in a fun, team-oriented, competitive way. There were 10 groups of five to six kids. Each team had to read 30 books before the competition which they usually divide up among themselves, only needing to read five books a piece.”
Lanyards are popular because of their ability to keep essential items like a name badge or pen close at hand. They are used in a broad range of activities from the workplace and schools to concerts and trade shows. Inexpensive badge lanyards come in a variety of materials, styles and colors. Each Flat Badge Lanyard has a crimped finish and comes with a bulldog clip attachment. And, they are made with a woven polyester material which is 1/2 inch in width and 18 inches long.
“We truly appreciate your donation for our Battle of the Books competition held on February 22,” said Shewell. “The kids do not have to pay to enter this reading incentive program, so we rely heavily on donations. I’ve attached pictures to show the kids wearing their lanyards, and you may even see their small buttons representing the books they read.”
Each child received a lanyard that they added buttons to every time they read a book.
“As each child read a book, they were given a button to put on their lanyard,” said Shewell. “It was a great incentive to read above the five books assigned. Most kids read over 10 books each and about 15 kids read 20-30 books!”
“It was a great incentive to see kids in other groups wearing their lanyards with lots of buttons on them, making them want to add more books and buttons to their lanyards, too. The competition is in its second year, but this was the first year adding lanyards, and the kids loved having something they could show their accomplishments on.”
Students at Grant Elementary wearing lanyards with buttons on them indicating which books they read for the “Battle of the Books” competition in February 2019.
Donations Help Raise Community Understanding
From lanyards to name tags, no matter what the donation is, the focus is always who it helps. And this time, at the request of a wonderful librarian, we were able to help out a school with their reading program. Our community and our surroundings are what makes us who we are. So, by giving back into this system, we are making it better for everyone around. Besides, reading is cool!
