PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
May 27, 2014
Norfolk, VA (May 2014): We are thrilled to kick off the “25 Ways of Giving Back” campaign in celebration of our silver anniversary. On May 6th, we invited our charity partners to enjoy lunch and commemorate this business milestone. Representatives from each of the chosen organizations learned about our plan for the coming year.
Throughout 2014, we will donate either money or time to over 25 non-profits in the region (we couldn’t decide on just 25), and we are excited to work with each and every one of them. The “25 for 25” campaign also includes our signature “Jean Pool” event, where we will be collecting jeans from now until the end of the summer.
"The Jean Pool” was created based on one of our favorite Friday traditions. At WEC, employees pay a fee each week to wear jeans to work, with the money going to a charity of our choice. The "Jean Pool" is an extension of that ritual, but instead of money, we will collect and donate children’s jeans and drop them in a baby pool set up in the office. With the help of the United Way, WEC will donate the jeans right before the start of school this fall to youngsters in three designated Norfolk public schools.
“We realize many families in our community can’t afford to buy their children a new well-fitting pair of jeans,” says WEC shareholder Martin Einhorn. “We want to collect as many pairs as possible so these children can start the school year with new clothes.”
Our charity partners were selected by nominations from our own employees. These are organizations that our team is passionate about, and we are grateful for the opportunity to help with their causes over the course of 2014. Our charity partners are:
- Alzheimer’s Association Southeastern Virginia Chapter
- American Heart Association
- Animal Resources of Tidewater
- Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia, Inc.
- Chesapeake Bay Academy Educational Foundation
- Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters
- Chrysler Museum of Art
- d’ART Center
- Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore
- Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula
- For Kids, Inc.
- Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast
- Hebrew Academy of Tidewater
- Jewish Family Service of Tidewater
- Jr. Achievement of Greater Hampton Roads
- Judeo-Christian Outreach Center, Inc.
- Norfolk Botanical Garden Society, Inc.
- Norfolk Collegiate School
- Portsmouth Community Health Center
- Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia
- Susan G. Komen Tidewater
- The Academy of Music
- The Up Center
- United Way of South Hampton Roads
- Virginia Beach SPCA
- Virginia Society of CPA’s
- Virginia Zoological Society
- VOLUNTEER Hampton Roads
- Young Audiences of Virginia
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