At the start of a new year many of us make resolutions about being a better person, maybe giving back to the community or volunteering for a cause close to our hearts. Come March or April, that resolution may have gone out the window. We try to escape the resolution meltdown at Slifer Designs. The company as a whole finds it important to give back, and we often see that helping out keeps us inspired and grateful for all we have. The company supports volunteerism, giving hours for each employee to volunteer every year. This lets employees find new nonprofits to help or stay engaged on a deeper level.
Here’s just a few ways we decided to help make a change in Eagle County – a place of a wide diversity of wealth and poverty, extremely athletic and healthy people and others who suffer from and ferociously fight cancer.
Jack’s Place at Shaw Regional Cancer Center gives cancer fighters a place to stay during their fight. Twelve patient rooms received facelifts – new dressers, nightstands, desks, lamps and wall art. Good design is always appreciated. Having a nice place to stay during a tough time is priceless.
Yvonne Jacobs, Bright Future Foundation board member, updated the Bright Future Foundation’s safe house, Freedom Ranch. This space is where victims of domestic abuse flee, and sometimes live, for months on end. After the refresh, the house feels like a home and not a shelter. Thanks to our clients who donated their gently used furnishings so we could bring the safe house to life. The warehouse team delivers the wares gratis – and always help with the heavy lifting, picture hanging and any other last-minute installation needs. Additionally, Yvonne and Maegan McKean, are Buddy Mentors for Bright Future Foundation, influencing lives of the younger generation.
One man’s trash… after our huge warehouse sale last summer we still had a few quality items that didn’t sell. We were able to donate them to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Eagle. Proceeds from that store go directly to helping fund new homes for locals. Later this year we will host a team to help build more homes at Stratton Flats in Gypsum. Oh – and we got to party for the cause at the annual Carpenter’s Ball held one wintery evening in March at the Hyatt in Beaver Creek.
YouthPower365 hosted a fabulous fashion show, where founder and creative director Beth Slifer modeled top fashion on the runway. All proceeds go to the extraordinary Girl PowHER program, which gives girls in middle and high school the chance to learn, explore, create and recreate.
A few weeks later, Yvonne participated in PowHER Up for Success, letting young women get a glimpse into her life, career and education as a sought-after interior designer. The girls also get professional styling and outfits that help them enter the work world feeling confident.
Surely you’ve heard of Pink Vail? Vail mountain turns into a sea of pink in honor of those fighting or those who lost the battle to cancer. All funds raised stay right here in the valley, benefiting cancer patients and survivors at the Shaw Regional Cancer Center. Team SD, aka Pink Robots, exceeded our fundraising goal of $2500 and tore up the slopes for a fun filled day. Check out this video we made: https://www.facebook.com/sliferdesigns/videos/10154215095590466/
Senior designer Frances Karsh sits on the board of the Breast Cancer Awareness Group, a local group that hosts an incredible luncheon every year to raise funds for breast cancer and create a dialog among women throughout the county. This year the luncheon will be held on July 13.
We hate the roads are so littered with garbage but once the snow finally stops – we hope – we clean two miles on I-70 as part of the Eagle River Watershed Council’s 16th Annual Community Pride Highway Clean Up on May 7. Trash doesn’t stand a chance when Slifer Designs is involved – we’ve participated for more than a decade.
Sue Poisson, accountant extraordinaire, is an all- around go getter and is always ready to lend a hand, and rustle up others to help out. She spent two days, April 14 and 15, as a judge for the Colorado Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA).
We know that we’re lucky, that we have the ability to give and a company that supports us doing so. We hope we inspired you to get out and volunteer… everyone has something to offer and organizations always need help!
