SanMar’s eight distribution centers and home office came together earlier this year to work with the Why Not You Foundation to raise funds for Friends of the Children.

We joined forces with the Why Not You Foundation because of their commitment to meeting the needs of children while giving them the opportunity to thrive. SanMar and the Why Not You Foundation wanted to fundraise for an organization that had an innovative approach to providing support, skills and mentoring to kids during critical stages of their lives.

Friends of the Children is a national nonprofit that is breaking the cycle of generational poverty by giving children facing the highest risks the ability to create a new story. They do this by providing the most vulnerable children with a long-term, salaried, professional mentor, called a Friend, from kindergarten through high school graduation.

“I’ve been fortunate to have great mentors in my life and I believe that Friends of the Children provides a much-needed resource for many children in our communities,” said Jeremy Lott, president of SanMar. “Our SanMar Family Values are a huge part of what we do here and we take great pride in making a difference by giving back to such a worthy organization.”

SanMar employees donated their money and time in a variety of ways, including raffling gift baskets put together by SanMar teams, food and dessert sales, a wine tasting, mini-golf, chair massages, product sales, dunk tanks and more. It was a great way for employees to creatively fundraise for an organization that has inspired and benefitted so many children around the country.

The total donation included a generous company match.