Thank You Rexair of Cadillac
Rexair has made a long-standing tradition of donating to community organizations in need for the holidays, however as a first year lieutenant of Cadillac’s Salvation Army branch, Bock wasn't aware of the tradition. When he found out they’d chosen The Salvation Army to donate to, he was beyond grateful and certainly wasn’t expecting the $44,000 that came his way just before Christmas. “It’s an honor to be the recipient of that,” Bock said. “And, to know that it’s been an every season thing; every Christmas they do this.”
Bock had already finished his unique tradition of living in a giant red kettle until his $50,000 Red Kettle campaign goal was met. He said the Army had already gone above and beyond its quota, but the Rexair donation made this the second-most successful Christmas campaign in four years.
(Pictured from left to right From left to right, Rexair Manager of Field Quality Tim Payne, Salvation Army Lt. Greg Bock, Lt. Liz Bock and Rexair Shipping and Receiving employee Connor Fagerman.)
Individual Rexair employees were responsible for $22,000 of the donation, and the company provided a full match to reach the total. Manager of Field Quality Tim Payne said Rexair of Cadillac has been doing annual fundraisers for more than 20 years, and whatever the employees give is always doubled by a match. It’s not the first time Rexair has donated to Salvation Army, and Payne said it won’t be the last. The company donated several hundred turkeys for the Cadillac branch’s Thanksgiving baskets as well.
“We understand, with everything that Salvation Army does for the Cadillac area, that the money stays in Cadillac,” he said. “There’s a lot of people at Rexair that believe in that, and then some people that have actually used those services in the past, so it’s a close to home donation that they can give.”
Payne said the company has always encouraged its employees to give back to their community in any way they can. Each staff member is allotted eight paid days off specifically for volunteering in an effort to inspire more involvement in their free time.
In celebration of the Christmas season, and to announce their donation to Salvation Army staff, Rexair hosted a brunch for all its donating employees on their last day before the holiday break. Bock said to meet with the workers who made the donation possible was heartwarming. Times have been tough for everyone, he said, and to know that Rexair’s employees were willing to give up dollars that could have been going home to their families was humbling.
“To have that amount given by employees, and then for Rexair really to recognize the value of that choice by their employees, saying we’ll match this with the donation,” he said. “It just it strengthens the core of Salvation Army and what we’re able to do in town.”