Philanthropy, Family and a Milestone
2020 was an interesting year to say the least, it brought about unexpected changes for all of us and Josslin was no exception. Suddenly, colleges were forced to work from home and the family environment that was usually found in our offices was gone. COVID forced us to adapt to try and bring our work family back together, much like it did for everyone’s real families as well. But adapt we did and it has actually brought us all closer than we otherwise would have been.
Theme day email chains became a way for us all to share more personal stories about our families or our favourite pass times. That was a silver lining of COVID and 2020, we were farther apart but still became closer. 2020 also marked the 140th anniversary of Josslin and while we couldn’t celebrate with the traditional gathering, we still found a way to make it meaningful. We asked our staff members to nominate and vote on a charity that meant a lot to them so that we could donate $1,400 and commemorate our milestone. A quick online survey made the choice clear; KidsAbility Centre for Child Development was the winner and many of our staff came forward to share what KidsAbility has meant to them personally. For some it was the help they provided when a family member was born premature, the counselling and physical therapy that is required long after birth. For others it was children born with hearing loss and needing speech therapy.
These stories were another way we were brought closer by the events of 2020, one of Josslin’s owners Scott Wagler shared his thoughts after hearing how much KidsAbility has meant to some of his staff. “Thank you for sharing your stories about KidsAbility. I know it’s not easy to do, but I have a new appreciation for what you’re going through and a respect for what you do in our office.”
Honouring KidsAbility ended up being the perfect way to commemorate our milestone; it brought our staff closer during a time when it was needed most and it supported an organization that has changed so many lives for the better. Our small Josslin family is stronger for it and our community is too.
Josslin’s Scott Wagler, Steve Wagler, Amanda Scheerer, Cheryl Bresowar, Ashley Moon and Megan Carr virtually presenting our donation to KidsAbility’s Lisa Talbot and Paige Phillips