The Equity Trust Company of Westlake rolled into Thanksgiving Week with a record-setting gift of groceries and personal hygiene items for the Westlake Senior Center, the Westlake Food Pantry and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lorain County.
Over 25,000 items were collected by employees of the Clemens Road investment firm! The effort signifies the biggest-ever gifts to the organizations.
“We have a great culture – our floor versus floor competition produced 5 times that of last year,” said CEO Matt Wilson as employees gathered in the parking lot Monday morning to help load trucks to transport the donations.
“When our associates are tasked with a challenge to give back, they create amazing results,” continued Wilson, adding that Monday’s mountain of donations was just one of five delivered. There was just too much to take at one time.
During the holiday food drive, Equity Trust is supporting Westlake Senior Center, where more than 100 seniors receive support in the form of food, household supplies, or transportation. A donation of over 4,300 personal hygiene items and cleaning supplies was donated last week to support this program.
In a typical year, Equity Trust raises 6 -7,000 items, which has filled the pantry in Lorain and other surrounding Boys and Girl’s clubs. “This year we challenged ourselves to double that donation and we far exceeded that goal with over 25,000 items and $1,410 cash to keep the pantry stocked throughout the year,” said company sponsor Renee Brown.
Equity Trust’s GIVE Committee includes Co-Chairs Matt Collier and Anthony DeVito and Executive Sponsors Mike Smyth and Renee Brown. All expressed gratitude the many employees who enthusiastically embraced the program.
The spirit of giving originates with Equity Trust founder Richard Desich Sr. and his family. The Desich Family is the namesake of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lorain County Desich Family Campus, located about 30 miles west of Cleveland, in Desich’s hometown of Lorain. The facility exists because of the Desich family’s 16-acre land donation to the organization. At the ceremony to reveal the name in 2016, Desich shared that his education, including attending community college, helped him become a successful entrepreneur. He also offered a challenge and a promise to the young club members in attendance:
“If you complete this program and graduate from high school with a ‘C’ average, I will give 10 of you a free education to Lorain County Community College with my own money,” said Desich, who was a member of the Board of Trustees at the college for more than 30 years.
Equity Trust is a financial services company that provides a platform for individual investors, financial professionals and institutions to invest in alternative asset classes, including real estate, tax liens, private equity and precious metals.