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By Jerry Demers, Agawa Indian Crafts, Pancake Bay, ON
My wife June and I run a busy service centre and gift shop on the Trans Canada Highway near Sault Ste. Marie. One day a young woman asked us if we would display a donation box for the Alzheimer Society. It was 100 miles round trip for her to come back for that box. Now I deliver the donations to the local Chapter and I guess you could call me a "raving fan" of the work they're doing there.
In our business we try to create "raving fans" by going far beyond what people expect. At our gas pumps, for example, we give out litter bags, clean headlights, taillights, check under the hood, we even give treats to the dogs. We do service calls 15 miles in each direction without charge. That's just how we like to do things. We also provide free coffee all season long. In return for the coffee we request that people make a donation to the Alzheimer Society.
We started to raise money for the Society simply because of the sincerity of that young woman who initially approached us -- she really did touch my heart. Now, there are other reasons. We have about 60 staff here; a lot of them are young people. We think that our philanthropic efforts set a great example for them. I've seen these kids change tires for travellers in the pouring rain. When they decline a tip and ask people to make a donation to the Alzheimer Society instead, well, that means something. When it comes to caring, $10 and $1,000 mean the same thing. Sure, $1,000 will buy more. But it doesn't show that they care more than a student who foregoes a tip to help someone else.
Every one of us has an impact. If we all pull in the same direction, we can make a big difference in the lives of others.
You can make a difference too just like Jerry and June by joining with the thousands of Canadians hosting Coffee Breaks™ across Canada in support of Alzheimer's disease. Find out more.
August
2005
Back to the Stories of Hope 2005 introduction page.
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