Nothing testifies to the goodness of the human spirit like the charitable donations CTBE collected during 2020. Heartfelt charity during hard times—it can restore your faith in humanity.
We can only imagine
Close your eyes and picture this:
- 26 kids bundled against the cold and popping wheelies in New Jersey, New York, and Ohio.
- 6 kids wheeling their favorite toy or pet around the Motor City in brand spanking new red wagons.
- Over 200 patients in Texas hospitals escaping into exciting novels or whizzing through word puzzle books. Picture them smiling more and healing faster because of lotions, lip balms, sweet treats, and other goodies from CTBE’s Hospital Helpers Charitable Workshop participants in the Lone Star State.
- And imagine the tear-streaked faces of first responders around the country and the 515 children to whom they gave stuffed toys called Rescue Buddies at the scenes of car crashes, house fires, and other traumas.
Team building and heartfelt charity during hard times
A humorist named Richard Armour coined the phrase “hindsight is 2020.” His premise was that where foresight is often blind, hindsight is crystal clear because it’s easier to evaluate and analyze things when you’re looking back at them.
The funny thing is—no disrespect intended to the memory of the humorist—that for most of us there was absolutely nothing funny about 2020. Last year is one many of us want to forget, disavow, delete—or pretend it never happened. Nonetheless it’s still not too soon to look back and recognize that for all the horrors we endured, there were a few bright spots amid the gloom.
Like millions of businesses around the planet, CTBE suffered from the impact of the pandemic and fought to stay afloat. That fight was made a lot easier by the generosity of some of our favorite clients. Although battle-weary, they nonetheless wanted to improve their professional skills while improving the lives of a few neighbors.
From bikes and wagons to wheelchairs, school supplies, and assorted sports gear for youth league teams, our clients gave! They pressed through the gloom and doom to light up the hearts of hundreds of kids and families around the country.
The good you do comes back to you
And each generous gesture proved to be equally good medicine for their own souls. By working together to amass and distribute their gifts, each team player got better at communicating. Because each event required strategic collaboration, many team members became more creative and innovative in order to “compete” with other teams and win more donations.
According to the feedback we’ve received, their supervisors recognized changes in their workers immediately. The workshop experience revealed hidden leadership potential in some of their quieter employees. Several reported that it improved morale and strengthened their overall group dynamic. A few workers stepped up their game and took greater ownership of their company’s vision. Others felt empowered to offer innovative ideas— an act which can be considered daring and even risky in some corporate cultures.
For CTBE, the workshops themselves and the glowing feedback will be treasured forever. CEO Rob Jackson and the whole CTBE team regard each workshop and the resulting donations as multiple silver linings in a year fraught with darkness.
