Month: September 2018

Ways You Can Give Back Year Round

It was one year ago that Florida was bracing for Hurricane Irma. And just one year later, residents along the East coast in the Carolinas prepared for Hurricane Florence’s arrival. It’s time like this we want to help through volunteering and making donations. At Best Corporate Events, we know it is year round we can help those in need. Companies nationwide love our CSR, charitable team building programs. They are the most popular programs in our lineup. Organizations like American Red Cross, Boys and Girls Clubs, and Homeless Shelters appreciate the many items our corporate partners donate after their team building event year round.

In whatever city your company is hosting their next meeting or conference, there is a local organization in proximity. Best will work closely with you to learn the ultimate goal of your meeting. We will learn which types of organizations your staff is interested in giving back to and helping. Our Charitable Resource Manager will handle all the details of your charitable donation. From contacting the recipients, coordinating the donation and scheduling someone to accept the items live at your event when possible, we handle all the details flawlessly.

If your team of employees is interested in helping children in need, they will enjoy the Bike Build Donation®. The Bike Build Donation® is our most popular program to date! We’ve executed this program for small groups as little as 30 people to as many as 3,500 people, donating 1,024 bikes to local organizations in Las Vegas!

Here are just a few of the ways your team can make a difference based on who they are interested in helping.

1. Children

Best offers a variety of CSR programs to help children of all ages. Children from as young as one year to 13 years old can benefit from a give-back program. Your team will feel all the benefits of helping those in need while having fun. Our newest program, Build-a-Computer was designed with technology in mind! Did you know some students can’t complete their homework assignments and school projects due to the lack of computers? Your company will assemble computers and full workstations complete with a desk and chair!

Another popular give-back program to help children in need is the Holiday Toy Donation. The time of year is upon us for donating toys for children’s gifts at the holidays. Most companies will participate in a charitable toy donation drive of some sort during the holidays months. So why not incorporate this popular holiday-themed drive with a team building activity. Our professional facilitators will help boost your team’s morale and create immediate results while giving back.

2. Elderly

If your team is interested in helping the elderly community, your group will love the Build-a-Wheelchair program or Project Alzheimer’s™. Build-a-Wheelchair® is a corporate social responsibility program born out of a desire to help American veterans and others with various mobility challenges. Upon completion, the wheelchairs will be staged for a memorable photo shoot with your teams. Whenever possible, a representative from the chosen charity will make a surprise appearance, sharing information about their organization and the impact your donation will have on the recipients. The focal point of this CSR event is to benefit the countless people who, with your generous donation, will be gifted with these beautiful, brand new wheelchairs.

3. Veterans

If your group is interested in helping Veterans, Best offers a variety of programs with Veterans in mind. Operation Military Care is a
unique opportunity to support the brave men and women proudly serving our country. Teams earn points by demonstrating high-performing team attributes such as clear communication, leadership, innovation, and team spirit. Teams will assemble their military care packages. The care packages will include personal touches in the form of letters written to the recipients that will be included in the boxes. The care package supplies are carefully chosen. Based on the items most requested by service men and women and their families. Your team will leave this event with a deep sense of patriotic accomplishment.

CSR programs are designed to boost team spirit and unity while helping less fortunate members of the community. Boost team morale and improve employee productivity with a CSR event.

First Day of Fall

September 22 marks the first day of fall. Fall is considered a lot of people’s favorite season of the year for its cooler weather and delicious new flavors! For those in the warmer climates, this is the time of year where you can transition from your sandals and swimsuits to boots and sweaters.

Best loves this time of year because we get to deliver team building programs in some of the most picturesque settings like in the cities of Boston, Chicago and San Francisco to name a few. We deliver events nationwide in the venue of your choice. If your group is stuck meeting all day indoors, we might suggest a City SmartHunt® where they can get outdoors and explore the conference’s host city and famous landmarks.

Our most requested programs are our CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) programs. CSR programs consist of the most popular, Bike Build Donation® and 15 others that make up our charitable giveback lineup. CSR is an excellent opportunity for members of your group to create items for donation to assist local and national charities.

Here are just some of the sure signs that Fall is here.

1. Your yard is full of leaves. Leaves are falling and covering the ground with their vibrant colors. You can’t walk across the yard without hearing the crackly noises of crisp leaves. You will spend hours raking the leaves, and your children will want to jump and play in the large colorful piles.

2. Pumpkin flavored everything! That’s right; you can’t turn your head without a sign advertising something pumpkin flavored. Pumpkin begins to pop up on all your favorite restaurant menus and coffee shops. You might have a craving for a pumpkin latte, pumpkin soup or pumpkin pie. The choices are endless because pumpkin tastes good just about any way it’s served. Local breweries begin brewing flavored pumpkin beer in time for annual Oktoberfest celebrations. And just in case you are watching your waistline; you may only want to enjoy these flavors with just a pumpkin scented candle.

3. Morning and evening temperatures have cooled down. The days are shorter, and the sun is setting earlier. But the temperatures are enjoyable, and you will find yourself reaching for a light scarf and sweater.

4. The school year is underway which means your favorite fall activities are upon us. The homecoming dance, Halloween trick or treating and football games. High school students are preparing for the fun week of events and on the hunt for the perfect dress and date. Younger children are deciding what they want to be for Halloween while the parents are plotting how they will hide the candy from the little ones.

Many companies get together in the fall for their annual meetings to discuss plans for the upcoming year. Our professional development programs are great for teams who want to learn the strengths of each team member and how departments can work better together. Planning your next meeting this fall? Schedule a fun team building activity for your group with Best!

Teddy Bear Day

On September 9, we celebrate Teddy Bear Day. If you are wondering, how was the creation of the teddy bear came about, here is the story behind this lovable toy. In 1902, American President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear cub while hunting in Mississippi. This event made national news. This prompted cartoonist, Clifford Berryman to publish a cartoon of the event in the Washington Post on November 16th, 1902. The caricature became an instant classic and inspired New York store owner, Morris Michtom. Mr. Michtom saw this as an excellent opportunity to create a new toy. He wrote to President Roosevelt to ask permission to name the new toy a “Teddy Bear.”

The Teddy Bear

The teddy bear is one of the most popular toys for children. They also hold a special place in many adults hearts too. From the day you’re born, you are gifted your first teddy bear. And you continue to receive teddy bears in your adult ages from loved ones on holidays like Valentine’s Day.

This cuddly stuffed animal deserves a day all to his own; therefore we celebrate Teddy Bear Day on September 9th. The teddy bear concept took off, with many bears becoming famous over the years. Famous bears include Paddington Bear, Rupert Bear, and, of course, Winnie the Pooh.

Best Corporate Events knows the value of the teddy bear. So we’ve included teddy bears in two of our charitable give back programs. Groups who participate in Bears and Blankets and Project Alzheimers™ learn the benefits that a teddy bear can bring to children and adults of all ages.

Two CSR Programs

Bears and Blankets is one of our 16 CSR programs. Our CSR programs are a wonderful combination of team motivational activities for charity. These activities create immediate, tangible results while boosting employee morale through the building and donation of memorable items for those in need.

Bears and Blankets feature Apple iPads® delivering a unique team building experience involving text, audio clues and exciting gaming challenges. All your teams’ activities are captured on Apple iPads that we provide. We will capture your group’s memories of this truly heartwarming event with photos and video of your teams in action.

During the event, as teams earn points, they will be choosing their bears and carefully stuffing them to huggable perfection. Bear-size t-shirts are skillfully designed and decorated by the artistic members of your group. Once these furry friends are created, they are dressed in their custom shirt thus giving them an identity all their own.

In addition, each team will use their creativity to swaddle the bears with warm, soft blankets. These blankets will help promote an added sense of security for the children receiving them. All the items made will then be delivered to crisis centers and law enforcement agencies that will distribute them to children who have experienced trauma.

Project Alzheimer’s™ is a unique charitable activity for teams from any company or organization. This program is designed to help people living with Alzheimer’s reawaken their souls through the simple and profound experience of listening to their favorite music. There is no greater reward than that! The film “Alive Inside,” which explores the connection between music and memory, inspired us. This connection is rooted in extensive neuroscience research, and the results can be nothing short of miraculous.

Fun and energizing music and memory-themed competitions will enable your group to earn MP3 players, stuffed animals, blankets and puzzle books for the elderly care packages. These musical favorites tap deep memories not lost to dementia and can bring residents and clients back to life. It enables them to feel like themselves again, to converse, socialize and stay present. The organization receiving your donation trains elderly care professionals on how to set up the MP3 players for those in their care.

Giving Back Has Never Been This Fun!

Donating items that can change people’s quality of life will touch your group’s hearts and elevate morale. CSR programs create lasting memories that can later be shared via a link to the photos/videos captured on the iPads!

Whenever possible, a representative from the organization receiving your gifts will address your group and thank them for their generous donation. The possibilities are endless for Bears and Blankets and Project Alzheimer’s. The outcome is always the same. A proud team of employees helping children to know someone cares.

So if you still have your childhood teddy, which recent studies have suggested more than 40% of people do, then don’t forget to give your teddy a big hug on this special day and celebrate your childhood friend!

Sources:https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/fun/teddy-bear-day

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