Be the Change
In the City of Los Angeles, heart disease and stroke are the top two leading causes of death for both men and women. It’s predicted that by 2030, almost 23.6 million people will die from a type of heart disease globally. In an effort to support ongoing heart-related research and raise awareness about living healthier, SI conducted a company-wide Penny Drive fundraiser for the American Heart Association.
For the fundraiser, employees were randomly placed into five teams and competed against each other to clinch a spot in the Top 2. Over the course of four weeks, countless coin rolls filled jars, $25 boxes of pennies lined the kitchen counter, and strategically folded bills hid beneath coins. Donations from the Cleveland Office were tallied and added to the sums in Woodland Hills, yet despite best efforts to secure a winning spot, it seemed almost impossible to determine the weekly leader.
As the clock ticked toward the close of the fundraiser, competition was fierce with donations coming in until the very last minute! Right before our August luncheon, we totaled the points and determined the Top 2 teams who then competed in a game of Jeopardy to determine the champions.
The Grand Prize? An Ice Cream Sundae Party, premiere parking spots and, of course…bragging rights.
In addition to the spirited competition of the fundraiser and Jeopardy game, employees also enjoyed chatting with coworkers over pizza, lasagna and salad from the Pizza Cookery. Supporting SI's charitable actions, the Pizza Cookery generously made a donation to the AHA and Kelsey Muir, an AHA representative joined in on the festivities.
Overall, we raised $1634.48 for the American Heart Association, exceeding our $1500 goal! This money will fund research to discover critical advancements in treatment and prevention, teach our nation's kids how to live healthy lives and train community members on heart attack and stroke detection.
To learn more about the American Heart Association, click here:
https://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/
