By Tori Lavery
Director of Events and Operations
Thanksgiving at Cheeriodicals!
It’s that time of year again—the moment to pause and reflect on the blessings we’ve received, both personally and, in our case, as part of a corporate team.
On a personal reflection note, the Cheeriodicals team is incredibly grateful to have celebrated three weddings in the last 12 months! It is such a blessing to witness our team members taking this exciting step in life. Additionally, we warmly welcomed Elizabeth and Meghan—two superheroes who diligently pack supplies for our events. Our gratitude extends to a sweet furbaby named Addi, who found her way to a team member’s porch during a storm. Addi, a doxle, has now joined Axl Rose (Yorkie Poo) and Biggie Smalls (Yorkie) as honorary Cheeriodicals team members, making our office feel full and lively!
On the corporate reflection front, Cheeriodicals expresses gratitude for a lengthy list of individuals and organizations that contribute to our mission. As a CSR-based corporate team-building company, our goal is to organize community give-back activities for corporate teams through team-building events.
This mission wouldn’t be achievable without our hospital/charitable partnerships, clients who prioritize social responsibility and continue to entrust us with their CSR activities year after year, the dedicated team at Two Men and a Truck who volunteer their time to transport our Cheeriodicals to hospitals for every event, and the incredible child life staff at most of the hospitals we visit. Working collaboratively, we successfully delivered over 11,400 Cheeriodicals kits this year in the US and Canada, with more still to be delivered before we usher in the new year!
We Are Thankful For: Our Hospital Partners
Cheeriodicals partners with hundreds of children’s hospitals, VA Medical Centers, Ronald McDonald Houses, and various charities to deliver cheer packages to those who need a boost in spirits the most.
As we express gratitude for the essential contributions of our hospital partners, clients, and hospital child life staff, this Thanksgiving season provides an opportune moment to shine a spotlight on our valued hospital and charity partnerships. Over the span of the past 12 years and more, Cheeriodicals has been deeply appreciative of the exceptional collaborations we have cultivated.
Beyond our alliances with hospitals and charities, we have recently expanded our reach to include partnerships with under-resourced elementary schools throughout the United States. This new initiative involves delivering backpacks and school supplies to students, further highlighting our commitment to making a positive impact in communities across the nation.
The Child Life team poses with Cheeriodicals boxes for hospitalized children outside of the Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone in New York, NY.
Our hospital and charity partners play a huge part in our Cheeriodicals events. When planning the logistics of our team-building events, an important part of the planning is selecting a recipient hospital or charity in the community where the event will be held. Once the recipient is chosen, we then coordinate with the staff to plan the logistics of handing out the Cheeriodicals kits to their patients or staff.
During our events, we always invite the staff to attend the team building to share a few words with our clients’ attendees. This is always a great time for the recipient hospital staff member to express gratitude to the attendees, share more about their hospital/charity and how to get involved with different volunteer opportunities. This is one of the most impactful portions of our events. Having someone come and represent the recipients and say “thank you” to those assembling the Cheeriodicals kits makes the kit assembly intentional and powerful.
Once the event has concluded, we deliver the Cheeriodicals to the hospital or charity. The time spent delivering the Cheeriodicals to the hospital (and possibly meeting the patients) is often our clients’ favorite part of the day.
We Are Thankful For: Two Men and A Truck
Two Men and a Truck, a well known moving company, teams up with Cheeriodicals to help deliver care packages to hospitals and charities across the United States and Canada.
Once all the Cheeriodicals are meticulously assembled, the subsequent crucial step involves ensuring their prompt delivery to the designated recipient hospital or charity, ultimately placing them directly into the hands of the patients. For more than a decade, Two Men and a Truck Moving company has generously volunteered both their trucks and services to our hospital and charity partners by transporting all of the Cheeriodicals from the team building event to the respective hospitals/charities.
The Baltimore Two Men and a Truck team poses with Veterans after a delivery of Cheeriodicals care bags to the Baltimore VA Medical Center.
Our gratitude extends not only to the overarching Two Men and a Truck corporation for their commitment to prioritizing social responsibility activities but also to the individual franchise owners and their dedicated workers, who consistently exhibit the highest level of professionalism.
Thanks-giving: Our Impact in 2023
Cheeriodicals assisted our clients in giving thousands of care packages this year to those in need, including hospitalized children, Veterans, and new this year, backpacks to under-resourced schools.
As we direct our attention to the invaluable contributions of our partners, we pause to reflect on the profound impact they achieved this year. Because of our partners, Cheeriodicals was able to conduct events in cities across North America, spanning from Boston and Toronto to Las Vegas, Chicago, Orlando, New York City, and Dallas, among many others. These Cheeriodicals deliveries reached a spectrum of crucial settings, including children’s hospitals, VA medical centers, Ronald McDonald House Charities, oncology units, infusion clinics, and under-resourced schools.
Looking back on the year, a standout moment occurred in August with the distribution of 2,500 backpacks filled with school supplies to under-resourced elementary schools nationwide. This impactful initiative, made possible through the generosity of our partnership with Sonic Automotive and EchoPark, allowed us to deliver essential resources to over 30 elementary schools facing significant needs!
A team of volunteers from Sonic Automotive and EchoPark Automotive handed out Cheeriodicals backpacks filled with school supplies to students in Birmingham, AL as part of a nationwide giveback project.
What Our Team is Most Thankful For
Gary, Founder and President
“I’m thankful for my family and friends foremost because these closest of connections are ever present in all situations. I’m also thankful for every individual on our team at Cheeriodicals because we can’t do what we do, make the impact we make, without their continued effort and commitment to flawless execution.
Lastly I’m especially thankful this year for our many corporate partners who continue to believe a unique kind of magic exists in the small place where team building and corporate social responsibility intersect. These partners include our corporate sponsor teams who pack the Cheeriodicals, the hospitals and charities that receive and distribute the Cheeriodicals donations and our delivery partner Two Men and a Truck who ensures that each truckload of cheer arrives safely to those in need.”
Mary Martha, Founder and COO
“In addition to the impact the company makes in the lives of hospitalized patients and others in need of a lift in spirits, I am thankful for the amazing team of event managers we have at Cheeriodicals. I love their energy and absolute commitment to excellence in everything they do for our team building clients. Of course, our event managers couldn’t do their job without the superhero efforts of our warehouse team who meticulously pack all of the supplies for our events. Finally, I’m thankful for Gary Parisher who, for the past 12 years, has provided amazing leadership for our team!”
Tori, Director of Events & Operations
“I am thankful for our partners who without them, we truly would not be able to do what we do! From our hospital & charity partners, Two Men and a Truck, and our clients. For over 12 years, Cheeriodicals has worked hard to foster and improve our partnerships nationwide and internationally. How special is it that we can have such amazing partnerships to make sure cheer is delivered to those who need it the most! Also, it cannot go without saying how thankful I am for our Cheeriodicals team that has turned into family!”
Shaylee, Director of Digital Marketing
“I am thankful for the friendships I have made here at Cheeriodicals. Yeah, that might sound cliche, but the Cheeriodicals team isn’t made up of my coworkers… they are my best friends. And traveling the country with your best friends is some of the most fun you can possibly have! We work hard, we play hard, and most importantly, we are there for each other. That is truly something to be thankful for.”
Macey, Event Manager
“I am thankful for the child life staff and other hospital staff that we partner with at children’s hospitals across the country. Not only am I grateful for the work that they do with us in coordinating Cheeriodicals donations, but also the work they do with the children in the hospital. They truly are superheroes and we are so lucky to have such caring people taking care of the patients during tough times.”
SK, Event Manager
“I am thankful to be a part of such an amazing team. We are blessed to get to do what we do, but we couldn’t do it without the incredible leadership and the wonderful team that helps make each and every event happen. Everyday I come into work I see the passion that our team has. I am thankful to be a part of a team that values creating team building events that matter and their ability to make an impact on someone’s day.”
We sure do have a lot to be thankful for! Happy Thanksgiving from the Cheeriodicals team!
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