Giving Thanks by Giving Back
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give” – Winston Churchill
Tis the season to reflect on life and count your blessings, and to take the time to help change the lives of those that are not as fortunate as others. It is extremely important to the team members of DeWys Mfg. that we take time throughout the year to volunteer with a variety of organizations in the West Michigan area.
“I love that DeWys offers us many opportunities to volunteer. I enjoy being able to spend time with coworkers I might not otherwise get to work with, and I love trying to show people in our community that, as a company and as individuals, we care about them!” – Don W., team member
Kicking off this year, a group of volunteers spent time at Kids Food Basket making premade nutritious sacked suppers for children. This organization serves over 7,000 children in the community that may not have a meal at home each night. Later in the year, DeWys held a companywide competition for team members to raise funds while cheering on their favorite NCAA team, MSU or UofM. Within two weeks, team members raised $200, which was donated to Gilda’s Club of Grand Rapids. Gilda’s Club works with cancer patients and their families throughout the stages of their diagnosis to make life easier and offer programs to cope and receive support.
Habitat for Humanity is an organization we volunteer with annually. A group of 20 team members spent a Saturday this fall completing demo work on a house that will eventually be a home for a single mother and her three daughters. This year’s team motto was ‘building our community one home at a time’. We believe that a home should be a place your family goes to be safe, warm, and happy.
For the first time, DeWys Manufacturing will be adopting a family with four girls ages seven through eleven this December through Love Inc of Allendale. Through this program, we will be providing holiday cheer in the form of presents, clothes, and other items on their wish list. When the gifts are picked up by the family, Love Inc. provides a dinner and a few other surprise gifts.
Life is full of blessings but unfortunately some are more fortunate than others. As you start your holiday season celebrations, remember those families in your community that are in need and make it a point to do something generous for them. I know the DeWys Manufacturing team members sure do!
