Hi all and Happy Holidays!
At the Lawson Group, we are all about family. We preach that the most important job anyone has is not the one that brings home their paycheck, but it is taking care of the family that they bring that paycheck home to! And at this time of year, nothing should be more important than family.
To that point, I wanted to take a moment to share something that’s important to us. If you are able and inclined to, this holiday season can be an especially meaningful time to help families that are less fortunate. Whether that’s volunteering to serve dinner at a local food pantry, dropping a few dollars in the Salvation Army kettle at the grocery store, or working with your employees to “adopt” a family for Christmas.
The latter is what we have chosen to do for several Christmas seasons now, and we find it to be exceedingly rewarding for our company and the folks who work here.
We partner with a charity to “adopt” several families for Christmas. We started years ago with a handful and have increased that number every year. Our folks donate time and money, as they see fit, to shop for, help wrap, and deliver gifts to the agency, which then delivers the items to the families. It has been a huge success for us, our people, the agency, and those in need. All in, our employees end up donating a few thousand dollars, and we make up the difference between that and what it costs to take care of the families we adopt. In most cases, we contribute about $10,000 to $12,000 a year, and we honestly can’t think of a better way to help out.
Two of the families that have stayed with me the most over the years include a married couple with intellectual disabilities who asked for bus passes around the city of Manchester since they don’t drive, along with a few McDonald’s gift cards so they could stop and have lunch together. One of the saddest situations was a family who lost their mom on Thanksgiving Day, and the kids and dad simply needed warm clothes and winter boots for the season.
Most of the families have similar “asks.” No cell phones or video games. Just some of the necessities of life that many of us take for granted: food, warm clothing, and small toys for the kids. In many cases, the kids are asking for items for their siblings, not themselves.
So this Christmas season, if you’re looking for a way to give back and help a neighbor, consider finding a local church, food pantry, or charity and lending a hand in whatever way makes sense for you. You won’t believe how good it feels in this crazy world we live in!
