This December, PATLive celebrates 10 years of charitable giving through its PATCares Organization. What started as a simple wish to spread holiday warmth has left a lasting and impressive legacy.
PATCares began in 2000 when a collection of PATLive employees, infected with holiday cheer and fellowship, adopted a local family in need. In less than a week, our employees and their families raised just over one thousand dollars and were able to provide food and gifts to a family that would have otherwise gone without a Christmas. Inspired by the overwhelming outpouring of compassion shown by our employees, a committee was formed to continue these charitable efforts throughout the year. This committee, known as PATCares, prides itself on making a difference for our neighbors in the Tallahassee community. As a company, PATLive stands behind the amazing work accomplished by PATCares and vows to match one hundred percent of every penny raised by the group.
Today, PATCares continues to encourage our employees to give back to the community. We regularly host fundraising lunches, car washes and bake sales right from our office complex. We also realize the most valuable gift is that of our time. As such, we encourage employee participation in many Tallahassee community events like local walks, festivals, and blood drives. We reach out to other local and national volunteer organizations to merge our efforts and maximize our impact – these efforts include cosponsoring and participating in many large “walkathons” like the Tallahassee Vision Walk, the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure, and the March of Dimes March for Babies, among others. Historically we have also worked with the MercyCorps, the Foundation Fighting Blindness, the American Red Cross, Second Harvest Food Banks, and many more.
Our small company proves we have a big heart and are proud to share we have raised over $41,000 for the at-need community over our ten years. With the help of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, we are able to extend our reach tenfold and are excited to share our community involvement with an even larger audience. We are so grateful for the continued support of our staff and company. We recognize PATCares as a powerful tool that links PATLive – the company, our employees and our community and hope it flourishes for many years to come.
Authored by: Cassie Smith
Cassie Smith is the Treasurer of PATCares
