MILLERSVILLE, Md. – It took just one visit to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Target House to leave an indelible mark on Shannon Small, an assistant sales associate at the Travel Advantage Network. Three years later, Small and co-worker Kristina Gibbons, the marketing coordinator for Beachtree, joined forces to launch a Travel Advantage Network sponsored fundraiser for that very same charity. The recent month-long fundraiser that TAN hosted for St. Jude Target House, with the event raking in over $1,300 in donations. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital treats children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases, and the Target House serves as a residence for families who have children undergoing treatment at the hospital.
“I was empowered with the fact that these families had to leave their jobs months at a time to be with their kids before they passed away,” says Small.
Small and Gibbons quickly learned that incorporating America’s favorite classic foods makes for a successful charity event. The two women staged an array of charitable events for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Target House fundraiser, including a silent auction for restaurant gift cards, the sale of yummy tacos with all the necessary toppings, as well as a Hot Dog, Chips and Root Beer Float Day. Additionally, Small and Gibbons arranged an Orioles Park Day for TAN employees and a special Jeans Day, where employees paid to wear their blue jeans. “We had a blast doing it,” Gibbons says. Their fundraising efforts indeed paid off, and the Travel Advantage Network raised a total amount of $1,363.50 in donations for the St Jude Children’s Research Hospital Target House.
“Our company culture not only encourages philanthropy, but enables our employees to have fun doing it,” says TAN President Brad Callahan. Each month, TAN employees rally behind a chosen charity and raise funds to support it. In 2008, TAN employees donated more than $10,000 to charities like the Muscular Dystrophy Association, National Alopecia Areata Foundation and The MISS Foundation.
For more information about Travel Advantage Network, call 410-729-1133, or visit its website: http://www.planwithtan.com/
