How We Show Gratitude & Appreciation

These are big words: gratitude, appreciation, community. And their meanings are even more significant!

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 every year 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.

Enclosed in the package is also a letter from the board of Granite Education 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.

This year, Granite Education Foundation and students from throughout Granite School District want to express our heartfelt 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.

Each board member signs this letter as a token of their gratitude and appreciation for all our donation does for teachers, students and the school district.

Granite Education Foundation (GEF)

Federal and state funds do not meet the immense needs of our students, teachers and schools. The Granite Education Foundation provides access to resources that improve educational outcomes.

We provide educational opportunities for students of Granite School District.

We educate students, teachers and members of our community on ways to impact our community. Together, we CAN make a difference! We gather and give resources the GRANITE way. We impact children and teachers in public education. We advocate, inform and promote learning for students and their families.

The lessons we learn from helping in our community teaches us how to be grateful for what we have. And when we realize what we have, we give even more back to those around us.

Coller Industries is known for their impact in the community through product donations. But the annual contribution to GEF is the one donation that we deem the most poignant. We are giving to the schools, the children, and most importantly, we are providing for our future.

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.

Gaining Our Wings with Donations

All angels have wings, right?

Coller Industries loves giving back to our community. It’s what helps define our business standards and practices. And, without these donations, we know we wouldn’t be complete. And this contribution goes to a fantastic corporation who knows the exact definition of helping and is helping us to get our wings.

The Arc of King County

Formed in 1936, The Arc of King County is a group of parents raising children with intellectual and developmental disabilities came together to advocate for their children’s rights to live, learn, work and play in the community. From these grassroots origins, the first parents of The Arc fought for their children’s rights to access housing, education, employment, and community resources such as transportation.

Their goal is to further the civil rights movement for all persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities to thrive as equal, valued, and active members of the community.

Brianne Roberson, Office Coordinator at The Arc of King County, summarizes by saying, “We offer supported living, homelessness prevention and civic engagement to promote and protect the rights of people with IDD.”

Donations are part of who we are.

From engraved logos to printable inserts, one of our most popular products is our Mighty Badges. Due to the versatility of these name badges, our customers keep coming back for them time and time again. The Arc is no different. Coller Industries provided Standard Mighty Badges with a white back plate for The Arc. Mighty Badges with logos make the process effortless. Now all they have to do is print out the easy-to-use inserts and assemble the badges.

“The name badges allow us to be easily identified and help our clients learn our names,” said Roberson. The Arc is using these tags during their Wings for Autism event.

Wings for Autism is back!

Wings for Autism is a program that is designed to alleviate some of the stress that families who have a child with autism spectrum disorders experience when traveling by air. It provides families an opportunity to practice entering an airport, obtain boarding passes, go through security, and board a plane.

The program also gives airport professionals an opportunity to interact and deliver their services in a structured, learning environment.

The next Wings for Autism event is March 3, 2018, at Seattle Tacoma International Airport.

Helping is a Coller Industries Tradition

Here at Coller Industries, we are helping to make a difference in our customer’s lives.

Donations are a big part of who we are here at Coller Industries. Helping our non-profit customers with their purchases may seem like a small thing, but we understand the difference that it makes. And we love having repeat donations!

For the past few years, we have been donating to An Infinite Mind. This non-profit has a particular and unique goal. It is to raise awareness and support for those with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). And, we think they are doing an excellent job!

Here is a little bit about them:

“The brain is merely an organ, but the mind is infinite.”

Far too often, people with dissociative identities are portrayed as crazy or unstable. They have faced accusations of making up this disorder. The stigma associated with DID has led to countless men and women living with dissociative identities to hide their true, whole self in fear of the repercussions if they are found out. An Infinite Mind was formed out of a need for accurate information on all Dissociative Disorders but especially DID.

Jaime Pollock, Founder and Director of An Infinite Mind, said, “In short, we are a national non-profit dedicated to helping adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse heal through supportive services, education, advocacy and awareness.”

We donated badge holders, inserts and white flat lanyards.

Name badge holders are an event staple as they are frequently used for conferences, conventions, trade shows, meetings, schools and visitor passes. Not only are they an excellent choice for events, but they are also a fantastic option for reusable needs, such as in a retail environment.

Lanyards are noted for 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 to schools and concerts to trade shows. Most often they have a name badge holder attached, and sometimes the badge holder displays the entire agenda for a meeting or conference.

“Our conference is a secure and safe place for our attendees so without a name tag they can’t enter. It is a very important piece of the event!” Pollock explained.

As An Infinite Mind is entirely volunteer-run, every donation counts. Even one of name tags and lanyards! We are always helping where we can.

Community, Education and Our Future

Sometimes it isn’t about the name tags. Sometimes, it’s just about helping our community.

Every year, as part of our way of celebrating the holidays, Coller Industries looks at how we can give back to our community. In the past we have given to different organizations and foundations, such as the Alaska Whale Foundation, to aid in their efforts. But, every year we always give to the Granite Education Foundation. This tradition of giving has been going on for nearly ten years.

To date, we have given over $57,000 to this fantastic foundation.

Coller Industries received a thank you letter from the Granite Education Foundation. The letter is from Brent Severe, CEO of the Granite Education Foundation. It reads 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.”

While it isn’t about the money, it is about helping. 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.

The letter also states, “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.”

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.

As Gary Coller, President of Coller Industries, says, “(Donations make) us more responsible in the community. And hopefully, our customers appreciate when they see that we give back.”

From product donations to monetary help, the time we spend investing in education, our children and our community means a great deal to us.

Giving More Than Name Tags

The season of giving is in the air, and so are name tags!

With this being the season for giving, Coller Industries enjoys stretching out a helping hand. And while we donate our time and products all year round, this season is especially important. Giving and gratefulness go hand in hand! So we would like to express this gratuity. So, thank you to all of the organizations to which we provide donations, and Circles of Salt Lake is no exception.

Circles of Salt Lake, as part of Circles USA, “believes no one should live in poverty. We believe strongly the responsibility for both poverty and prosperity rests not only in the hands of individuals, but also with societies, institutions, and communities. Our mission is to inspire and equip families and communities to thrive and resolve poverty.”

Ryan Gregersen, Coach and Program Coordinator at Circles Salt Lake, says, “Circles is a national initiative, new to Salt Lake. And we are excited to serve our community.”

With being the go-to specialist for all personal identification needs, Coller Industries enjoys donating name tags and other custom items. These items go to those who reach out to their communities. Part of our community of caring means that we also give back to the community.

We provided Circles with Full Color Name Tags.

We print on a polar white plastic to make our thermal transfer process boost and brighten every color. This process will make your images and logos print in crisp, bright full color.

“Thank you for the donation of name tags!” exclaimed Gregersen. “These have been incredibly useful as we are just getting off the ground with our Salt Lake office, and are beginning to grow awareness about Circles in our community. In just the few days we’ve had the name tags, we’ve worn them to (several) conferences. They have helped in starting conversations about our organization. And this has led to building partnerships with community agencies, finding participants for our program, and recruiting volunteers.”

Whether it is name tags, personalized ribbons or lanyards, Coller Industries strives to show our gratuity through seasonal and year-round giving! And, we hope that all of our customers have a happy holiday season.