Annual Holiday Project
LaunchSquad felt more like Santa’s workshop than a PR Agency yesterday, as gifts were being wrapped and packed away in boxes and bags. “Pass the ribbon” and “do you have any extra tissue paper” were common refrains rather than the usual, “do you have time to read through this press release with me?” Today, the presents were delivered to the Family Support Services of the Bay Area, a private, nonprofit organization that provides support to parents and other caregivers of vulnerable children. LaunchSquad sponsored three families, each with a single mother and young son. We had been emailed their wish lists in mid-November and have been collecting presents up until this morning, when last minute kitchen supplies for our moms and some stocking stuffers for our boys came in. Amy Neal even made an 11th hour rush to the store to make sure that one of our little guys had AA batteries for his new remote control car.
Every year LaunchSquad supports a holiday project. Last year, we collected supplies for At the Crossroads, an local organization whose mission is to reach out to homeless youth and young adults at their point of need and work with them to build healthy and fulfilling lives. The previous year, we collected eyeglasses for Give the Gift of Sight, a family of charitable programs providing free vision care and eyewear to underprivileged people in North America and in developing countries around the world.
As it poured rain his morning, we filled the trunk of Jennifer Gazin’s Honda Element with packages covered in white plastic to protect them from the elements. It was a satisfying feeling for all! We have busy lives and sometimes it’s so easy to forget the little things we can do when we band together to make a difference. Seeing Jennifer’s car full of presents drive away brought to mind a recent sentiment that Brett Weiner had us all chanting at our end-of-year meeting last Friday: “When I say ‘LaunchSquad,” you say ‘Whatever it Takes!’”