In 2010, the firm decided to go in a non-traditional direction when it came to holiday gifts. Rather than sending wine or a gift basket, Christian & Small began a new tradition of giving a gift that is true to our mission of being “Nonstop Advocates” for the community. It started with a simple question, “What if a gift could also make a difference in the community?”
A holiday card was designed and mailed to clients. The card invited them to visit a special website where the client could enter a unique code and vote for one the three charities to which Christian & Small would make a gift in the client’s name. At the end of that first campaign, our firm and clients made a significant impact reaching 53 students through Teach for America Alabama, providing 17,500 meals through Feeding America and sent two families of four to Disney World through Make-A-Wish. The response from clients and friends was overwhelming, and Christian & Small happily continued the campaign.
In 2011, we narrowed our focus to education, specifically, organizations and groups that are innovators in education. In that second year of our holiday campaign, our firm and clients provided scholarships for 16 students to attend the Higher Achievement Summer School, scholarships for 24 Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High school students to attend Generation Next, and one month’s tuition for 12 students to attend Restoration Academy.
The 2012 Holiday Giving Campaign was another huge success and for the first time, incorporated a social media component allowing the chosen charities to better tell their stories to an even larger audience. The 2012 campaign provided:
- Room and Board for students to attend the Higher Achievement Summer School.
- Funding for one student in the Corporate Internship Program at Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School.
- Tuition assistance at Restoration Academy.
- Funded the recruitment, training and placement of one teacher with Teach for America Alabama.
There was never a question that we would host another Holiday Giving Campaign in 2013. This year, we are supporting the same four organizations and we can’t wait to see what impact these organizations will have on students in the coming year.
Learn more about the campaign and see how you can help by visiting nonstop advocates.com.