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For many, Christmas and the holiday season is a time full of joy, warmth, and loved ones. However, for others, it is a time of anxiety, uncertainty, and even dread. While Christmas affects adults in the same way, it is especially heartbreaking when the youth in our communities here in Utah and Idaho experience these emotions. As we have done each and every year, we HAD to try to make a difference for as many of our youth as we could.
Enter the Whitaker Construction Project Elf initiative! We asked our employee-owners to give what they could so that we could make a difference for these children. This included an anonymous employee-owner nomination for any of our own that may have fallen on hard times during the holidays. We communicated about this initative throughout November and December of 2023, and we're THRILLED to say that our employee-owners raised a new Whitaker record of more than $11,000!
Every penny of this amount was spent on toys, stuffed animals, clothing, and personal items so that we could better the lives of nearly 40 children throughout Whitaker Construction and throughout our partner in this project, The Christmas Box House. Our team of passionate individuals spent hours and hours shopping, battling the weather and crowds, and searching for specific requested items to ensure that each child could have the BIGGEST smile on their deserving faces on Christmas morning.
We're so grateful for the true heroes that work at The Christmas Box House and other like organizations for their selfless efforts every single day to be a positive influence in these children's lives. They are the true angels that fight the good fight, and they deserve ALL of the praise and recognition that should have. We were so grateful that they were able to come to our HQ in Brigham City to see what we were able to accomplish and to retrieve the gift baskets for the children. We were able to provide enough for each child that it took a Whitaker Construction trailer just to get the gifts to The Christmas Box House for delivery!
We're already looking forward to Christmas-time in 2024 to be able to continue riding the feeling of giving Christmas. The only thing that's better than getting is giving, and we are so proud of our employee-owners for stepping up to the plate to make Christmas a memorable and joyous time for children who otherwise would have nothing during some of their darkest times.
Thank you to all who participated in Whitaker Construction's 2023 Project Elf initiative!