Swinerton Builders Colorado plays Ladder Toss during the Foundation BBQ
This past year has already seen unprecedented natural disasters throughout the country, which ranged from devastating earthquakes and tornados to fires and floods; now we are starting the hurricane season. To respond to the resultant needs, The Swinerton Foundation asked divisions to sponsor fundraising events on their behalf and The Foundation would match the proceeds.
Swinerton offices held the events during July and there were definitely some creative approaches to raise funds, such as:
• Swinerton’s Concord office held a Carnival – Coordinated by Phyllis Smith, games were set up in the training room.
• Swinerton Builders Colorado hosted a BBQ – Money for this effort was donated to The Swinerton Foundation as well as the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, and was coordinated by Ellen Wuori. Taking advantage of the office’s beautiful backyard on a sunny afternoon, the Denver office munched on chips and dips, fruit, cookies, barbequed veggie burgers, and – the event’s most popular food – bratwursts. Employees also played the popular lawn game Ladder Toss while basking in the sunshine.
• Swinerton Builders San Diego hosted a Potluck – Lunches were offered for $5 for those who brought a dish to share and $8 for those who didn’t bring a dish but wanted to feast on the dishes offered. A $350 gift certificate was also raffled off for $20 per ticket. Jan Emerson coordinated this event, and 27 of the total 35 staff members in the office participated, with 19 people paying for raffle tickets and eight people bringing in dishes – a total of 24 mouths fed! The menu consisted of two rotisserie chickens, rice, beans, chicken enchiladas, baked ziti, Chicago-style pizza, chow mein, salad, broccoli salad, cole slaw, rosemary bread, lemon cake, and brownies. The big hit was Maggie Sierra’s homemade chicken enchiladas. Everyone who attended enjoyed both the food and camaraderie created by the potluck, and the office enjoyed leftovers for a week!
• Swinerton’s San Francisco/East Bay office hosted an Ice Cream Social – For $5 participants enjoyed an afternoon ice cream snack with all the toppings anyone could ever ask for! Tickets for Giants and A’s games were also raffled off for $5 a ticket. Gabriella Marcheschi coordinated the event, with help from Rico Garcia, Stephanie Northington, and Terilynne Dunne.
• Swinerton Builders Texas auctioned off trinkets and furniture purchased by Amy Lopez with a $300 Home Depot gift card given to Swinerton. She bought solar patio lights, a tree pole saw, folding outdoor bistro chairs, an outdoor patio clock, retro-looking hummingbird feeder with nectar, and more items. More than half of the administrative staff raised funds by participating in the silent auction and ice cream social.
• Swinerton Builders Orange County sponsored “Flip Flop Friday” – Rachel Goldberg coordinated this effort in which employees could pay $5 each Friday beginning July 15th to wear flip flops to work. The laid-back atmosphere in the office, with many people surfing and going to the beach during their down time, inspired a simple way to raise money and make the staff more comfortable while working. More than 15 people participated in the program during its six-week duration. The most popular brand of flip flop worn at the office was Havianas.
It is efforts like these that help The Swinerton Foundation reach out to our communities and to people in need. Thank you to everyone who participated!