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community focus International organization supports Society, employees enjoy teamwork Two Men and a Truck, which started as a family-owned moving business and has since grown to be an international organization, believes in giving back to the community. Employees are invited to participate with community-based organizations as they feel comfortable. The company maintains a list of associations for employees to choose from, but decided to pick one main organization to support. 
"Hands down, it was the American Cancer Society," said Brig Sorber, vice president of franchise operations and director of licensing. The Society was chosen because employees have a personal connection with the fight against cancer. Ten cents of every move is donated to the American Cancer Society. In 2006 alone, the company is expected to do about 400,000 moves. A nationwide donation is presented to the Society during the company’s annual meeting. "Cancer attacks all people, it’s something that everyone can relate to. All of our franchises have been touched by it," said Brig. A major bonus for Two Men and a Truck is that franchises can work with their local Society offices in their communities while also being a part of the company’s nationwide commitment against cancer. In memory of an employee who died of breast cancer, the company has established the Michelle Nelson Endowment Fund, which donated close to $5,000 this year to the Great Lakes Division’s Camp Catch-A-Rainbow, a summer camp for kids with a personal cancer history.  They have also been a major supporter of Relay For Life. In Lansing, Michigan, their home office alone raised $10,000 for the Relay For Life of Meridian Township this year. They have achieved this accomplishment by implementing fundraising techniques that could be duplicated in other companies: they charge employees a small fee to wear jeans on Fridays, collect donations at a community-wide Easter egg hunt, pull together change in their office, host a pancake breakfast, and run silent auctions on gifts given to the company. "Everybody here wants to help," said Brig. Two Men and a Truck also sponsored a Society golf fundraiser and eight Wall of Hope banners that were signed by employees at Relay For Life events. These banners will travel with the Society during September for Celebration on the Hill 2006, where volunteers will discuss cancer issues with lawmakers in Washington DC. The banners’ signatures represent people who care about cancer in local communities. While the Society gains dedicated volunteers and financial contributions from the company, employees have found that being involved with the Society is a bonding experience, as they do activities outside of work and family members get involved. "We do it as a team," said Samantha Byrne, Two Men and a Truck's assistant office administrator in Lansing and captain of their Relay team. Samantha coordinates the home office's Society events. "It brings us together," she said. The American Cancer Society is proud of its partnership with Two Men and a Truck, both within the Great Lakes Division and nationwide. We look forward to working with them and other organizations in our continued fight against cancer. | |
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