MMG raises funds for Haiti relief
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – Employees at MMG Insurance – through donations and a 3-to-1 company match – recently raised nearly $7,500 that will go to Haiti relief efforts.
Grace O’Neal, senior programmer/analyst at MMG, knew her uncle, Raymond Hebert of Madawaska, was going to Haiti to do humanitarian work in late January and wanted to see if any of her co-workers would be willing to make a monetary donation that Hebert could take with him.
“It just so happened that I sent an e-mail to co-workers the day after the Jan. 12 earthquake,” said O’Neal of Limestone. “His trip was scheduled for Jan. 27 and he was going to be gone for two weeks. Once the earthquake hit, he and a friend who has accompanied him to Haiti over the past 16 years decided they had to go to Haiti now, more than ever, and hoped they would still be able to get into the country. They were needed in Haiti!
“I give him a donation myself, and I knew that people here at MMG have generous hearts,” she said, “so I thought, ‘Well, I’ll see if anybody else in the company would want to give along with my donation.’ That’s when things really took off.”
Several years ago, the company created Casual for a Cause where employees wear casual clothing on Fridays and make a monetary donation to be given to a particular organization.
“Typically it’s a $3 donation to be able to wear jeans, which the employees really like to wear, plus as a community, we’re making a larger donation as a group than we could if it were only one or two people soliciting pledges for a particular charitable cause,” said Margo Dyer, human resources assistant at MMG. “On average, Casual for a Cause usually raises between $250-$350.
“After Grace sent out her e-mail, a few employees asked if we could do a Casual for a Cause fund-raiser for the victims of the earthquake,” she said. “The company agreed, but also decided to challenge the employees … for every dollar raised by the Casual for a Cause, the company would donate $3 to the American Red Cross to benefit relief efforts in Haiti.”
The employees raised over $1,600, which Hebert took with him to give to the Haitians for food and other needed supplies.
“Originally he was going to go down and help out the schools and hospitals,” said O’Neal, “but as soon as the earthquake hit, he knew that his whole reason for going down there had just changed, and he was going to help out in any way he could.”
Prior to the Casual for a Cause event, which was held Jan. 22, MMG’s executive management team decided to make a $1,000 donation to the American Red Cross. That amount, plus the 3-to-1 match, totaled over $5,800.
“That’s on top of the $1,600 that was raised for Grace’s uncle to take with him,” said Dyer. “Our Pennsylvania office and New Hampshire office wanted in on the challenge, too. People were bringing in $10s, $20s, $50s and even $100s instead of the traditional $3.”
Both O’Neal and Dyer were moved by how generous the employees were.
“I’m absolutely thrilled,” said O’Neal. “I really was not expecting it to turn out like this. I thought I might be able to collect a couple hundred dollars in donations. When it was all said and done, the company contributed nearly $7,500 for relief efforts – $1,600 to my uncle. My uncle was extremely impressed, appreciative, and a little shocked.”
“When the earthquake hit, it was a nationally-known event and the outpouring of support from our entire nation was phenomenal,” Dyer said, “so we thought we’d raise a little more than what we typically do, but this just far surpasses anything we’d ever hoped for. I feel that has a lot to do with the fact that a $1 donation suddenly became $4. That was huge … knowing that our dollars were tripled.”
In a recent e-mail to his niece, Hebert wrote, “Dear Grace, on behalf of the Haitian people and ourselves, many thanks to all of you for your generous contributions. We’ll do our best to be faithful and wise stewards of your hard-earned dollars … and we pray that the Lord will bless each one of you abundantly in return. We’ll stay in touch. Uncle Ray.”
GRACE O’NEAL, senior programmer/analyst at MMG Insurance in Presque Isle, presents her uncle, Raymond Hebert of Madawaska, with $1,600 raised by her co-workers who recently participated in a Casual for a Cause fund-raiser for Haiti relief efforts. Hebert went to Haiti in late January to do humanitarian work, and O’Neal wanted to see if any of her colleagues would be willing to make a monetary donation that Hebert could take with him. Hebert used the $1,600 to give to the Haitians for food and other needed supplies. MMG also raised more than $5,800 that was donated to the American Red Cross through a $1,000 donation and a 3-to-1 company match challenge executives made to employees bringing the total raised for the earthquake victims to nearly $7,500.
