News December 24, 2024
The Bright Side: Kaeser & Blair Raises $10,000 For Employee Family in Need
The Top 40 distributor put the funds from its annual candygram fundraiser to good use supporting an employee’s son with a heart defect.
Key Takeaways
• Fundraiser Success: Kaeser & Blair (asi/238600) employees, sales reps and a company match raised $10,000 to support an employee’s family facing medical challenges.
• Heartfelt Surprise: The team presented the funds to the family in a touching moment at the company holiday party.
Clay had his first heart surgery when he was just a week old.
He was born with a heart defect. He’s had many surgeries throughout his life to keep his heart steady, but at 8 years old, he is in active heart failure and on medication to prepare his body for an eventual heart transplant.
With medical bills piling up, Kaeser & Blair (asi/238600) wanted to do something special this holiday season to support one of their own – Clay’s grandmother, Shelly Kirker, and mother, Nikki, work in the dealer services arm of the Counselor Top 40 distributor, with Shelly serving as the department’s team lead.
The company runs an annual candygram fundraiser for internal staff where employees can send a candy cane and a note to someone who’s made a difference in their year, said Liza Sachs, Kaeser & Blair’s chief revenue officer, with the proceeds being donated to a different cause.
Learn More About Promo’s Charitable Initiatives
The Do-Gooders Directory, part of ASI Media’s Promo for the Planet resource hub, is an extensive and regularly updated list of supplier and distributor giveback programs, corporate social responsibility initiatives and sustainability certifications here.
This year’s proceeds were earmarked for supporting Clay and his family during the holidays. When Sachs found out who the recipients of this year’s fundraiser were set to be, she extended the message beyond internal services to the sales team – and everyone responded to the call.
Thanks to the combined efforts of the internal staff and sales reps, the team raised $5,000 to support Shelly, Nikki and Clay ahead of the holiday season. Kaeser & Blair matched that donation for a total of $10,000, which the team surprised Nikki with at the company holiday party last week.
They rigged a game of bingo at the party so Nikki’s board would hit every number, Sachs shared. When she was called up to claim her winnings, the team presented her with the funds in a teary-eyed moment.
“Everyone took a part,” Sachs says. “It was just heartwarming.”
Anyone interested in following along with Clay’s story can do so here.
With a reported 2023 North American promotional products revenue of $99 million, Kaeser & Blair ranked 25th on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest distributors in the industry.