Republic, a distributor of the Luxaire® brand of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) equipment from Johnson Controls, teamed up with businesses in the Davenport, IA, area to help raise $2,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Iowa during the city's third annual Make-A-Wish® Walk For Wishes event.
This year, Luxaire is celebrating a “Decade of Wishes Come True” with the Foundation. Since 2001, Luxaire has sponsored the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and through its network of heating and air conditioning dealers and distributors, has donated more than $2.4 million, which is enough to grant nearly 330 wishes.
For the first time, the Walk For Wishes event in Davenport, which was held at Modern Woodman Park, also included a 5K run. Republic employees, customers, families and friends raised funds and volunteered at the event.
To honor Republic's 95th anniversary this year, employees also contributed to the Make-A-Wish Foundation through payroll deduction, with all contributions being fully matched by the company. As a result, $8,100 will be contributed to help grant wishes. These funds, when added to the contributions made by Luxaire on behalf of Republic and its Luxaire dealer network, resulted in $15,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Iowa, which will allow the company to fund three wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions in the region.
“One of our employees has a son who received a wish from the organization,” says Jill Larkin, director of marketing for Republic. “Once we teamed up with Luxaire, we embraced the opportunity to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation. We're hoping to work with our dealer base to host a golf tournament next summer that will benefit the organization by raising additional dollars.”
“We're incredibly grateful to Republic, who volunteered at the event and helped make it such a success,” says Carol TeBockhorst, field director of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Iowa. “Corporate sponsors like Republic and Luxaire help us fulfill wishes for children and their families who have been affected by life-threatening medical conditions.”
The Walk For Wishes event, along with seven other walk events held across Iowa this fall, raised more than $50,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Iowa, which granted 185 wishes to children in 2011.
“Luxaire dealers and distributors throughout the country are proud to raise funds for such an important organization,” said Mary Mocarski, Luxaire brand manager. “These events benefit deserving children and their families, and also strengthen the bond between Luxaire and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.”
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