(TAMPA, FL, June 16, 2008) – The temperature had reached 92 degrees on this Florida day and it was a bit hotter than these transplants were used to. But they barely stopped for water as they dug holes, hauled wheel barrel loads of shell rock, and planted pot after pot of almost 600 plants.
“Why are you all doing this for us,” came a small voice of a kindergartener. “You don’t know us.”
But the Valpak volunteers – who had come from around the country -- were glad to have the chance to meet these children, during this inaugural Valpak Cares Community Event, a day-long community service project during Valpak’s 21st annual “Coupon U” national convention.
“I think it was a wonderful way to kick off the conference, all the while showing our Valpak sprit, said Dannette Robb of Valpak of San Jose. “ It’s because of people and projects like you and yours that continuously allow me to be proud to be a Valpak employee,” she said.
More than 75 Valpak sales representatives, franchise owners and support staff members spent the day at Sulphur Springs Elementary School and the R.I.C.H. House Community Center in Tampa, Florida, in a socio-economically disadvantaged neighborhood, where 90 percent of the children are on the school lunch program.
“Tampa Bay has been the home of Valpak for 40 years,” said Bill Disbrow, CEO of Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, Inc. and Cox Target Media, one of the leading direct marketing companies in North America. “Because we have Valpak representatives from all over North America here this week, we thought it was a great opportunity to give something back." The event was held in conjunction with a four-day Coupon U training and development event for almost 200 franchisees around the U.S. and Canada. Sales representatives and office staff from around the country joined graphic designers and other volunteers from the Largo headquarters.
The volunteers transformed this vacant patch of land into a well-planned oasis, that after six hours became a lush garden that featured tropical, fragrant, and colorful plants. Benches and tables were placed to give the children a place to read and a hedge was planted around the border so that it would soon form a “secret garden.” The plants were chosen especially for their drought tolerance, their fragrance (jasmine, roses, gardenia), and for attracting butterflies. Splashes of red heliconias and yellow daisies were placed alongside a bird bath, trellises and meandering paths.
The students passed by the garden site on their way to classes, complimenting the volunteers and admiring the new landscape. Several classes thanked the volunteers by hanging painted signs in the hallways.
Inside, more Valpak volunteers worked on an elaborate jungle mural on the walls of the cafeteria, which was inspired by the school’s mascot, The Tigers. Other volunteers worked in the media center shelving books. One Valpak franchise also donated nine cases of books for the students to take home for summer.
Principal Cora-Lynne Wimberly and behavior specialist Raul Garcia worked with Valpak to plan this and were extremely excited about the projects. "I never expected something like this at our school!" Mr. Garcia commented.
“This is a part of company culture - putting people first,” said Disbrow. “We are glad to be able to be living our mission statement, not just hanging the statement on our walls. Even during tough times when we could be cutting back, our people are willing to give of their time and resources freely.”
Joe Bourdow, president of Valpak, visited the site to do his share of planting. He’s no stranger to a shovel, or a drill or hammer. Joe has taken part in building more than five homes for Habitat for Humanity sponsored by Valpak/Cox Target Media since 2002. Joe has been with Valpak for 30 years, and first started out as a sales representative in Richmond, VA.
Valpak / Cox Target Media has had a long-standing commitment with The United Way, which was instrumental in helping to identify these locations.
“We’ve spent a year planning our conference and had a lot of great training and networking opportunities,"
About Valpak
Headquartered in Largo, Fla., Valpak® celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2008. Valpak is owned and operated by Cox Target Media, one of the leading direct marketing companies in North America, and delivers savings to nearly 46 million households each month. On an annual basis, Valpak distributes some 20 billion offers inserted in 521 million envelopes. In addition, Valpak.com®, an online site for local savings, has about 20 million offer views each month. Cox Target Media is a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Cox Newspapers, owned by Cox Enterprises, Inc., one of the largest media conglomerates in the United States.
Valpak / Cox Target Media has an active community relations and corporate contribution program in Pinellas County, Florida, with programs and initiatives focused on fostering education and responding to community needs. Valpak is a corporate sponsor of the recent Stamp Out Hunger campaign, sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers.
