Giving Back the Block Hawley Way

In our previous blog post, we talked about how corporate responsibility is not only part of a healthy long-term marketing strategy for a company, but is also a key factor in employee happiness, recruitment and retention. However, it is important to thoughtfully consider the causes that your company chooses to support with your employees top of mind. The best company-backed causes don’t just get picked and supported for their name value, but also ring a personal chord with employees. Ask your employees what is important to them, what aspects of the world they want to change and you will be surprised how passionately they throw themselves behind a cause they care about. In this post, we highlight our sister firm, Block Hawley, and how they teamed up as a company to help a worthy cause that was close to home for one of their employees…

Block Hawley Commercial Real Estate, LLC (an affiliate of Block Real Estate Services) is one of the largest industrial real estate firms in the St. Louis area. Something that all Block Hawley professionals have in common is the focus on making a difference locally, whether it be through business or volunteering. Recently, Pat Parish, Block Hawley’s office manager, brought a cause to the company that was close to home for her. Ms. Parrish and her family are directly affected by epilepsy. Pat’s 3 year old granddaughter, Edy Sumner, struggled with seizures ever since she was 4 months old and lost her battle in 2004. One of the ways that the Parrish/Sumner family and their friends continue to show their love for Edy is by being involved with the Epilepsy Foundation.



Pat Parrish and "Team Edy" at the Seize the Day 5k Run / Walk

Seize the Day 5k Run/Walk St. Louis is an effort to increase awareness and raise funds to support people living with epilepsy. The event was held this summer in the beautiful neighborhood of Kirkwood. Roughly 70 teams and 1400 participants were involved in the event this year. The hard work of dedicated committee members, team leaders, volunteers, participants and staff, raised over $125,000. Proceeds benefited the Epilepsy Foundation of Missouri and Kansas. The mission of the foundation is to stop seizures, find a cure and overcome the challenges created by epilepsy.

In an effort to support Pat and her family and to help make a difference in the lives of the 200,000 people currently living with epilepsy in Missouri and Kansas, Block Hawley rallied behind this cause to also donate to the foundation in Edy’s name. Click here if you'd like to join the cause would like to make a donation in Edy’s name. For more information on the Epilepsy Foundation and their upcoming events, click here.

Regardless of the cause or motivation, being involved in the community not only makes a difference for the people receiving the contributions, but on the giver as well. One can develop new ideas and skills, network with a new group of people, and strengthen existing relationships, while supporting meaningful organizations. What is your company passionate about?

Contributing Author: 

Tanya Apostolova
Marketing Coordinator
Block Hawley Commercial Real Estate
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