Provell Employees Make the Holidays Brighter for Families in Need

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) November 28, 2008 -- MINNEAPOLIS, November 25, Each year in late November, the employees of Provell, Inc., gather together in the company's break room over cider and donuts to pick gift tags from a small, brightly lit, spruce tree. Each tag is inscribed with an item from a wish list, from warm winter boots to a pair of gloves, a football, or department store gift card. This annual ritual isn't part of an interoffice gift exchange. It's a voluntary effort to brighten the holiday season for families in need. And when the donuts and cider are gone, so is each and every tag from the tree.

According to Provell employee, Brenda Bovy, "This is something we look forward to doing every year. It's so fundamentally satisfying to know that you're helping to make the holiday a little bit happier for a family who's experiencing a temporary setback."

In 2007, Provell employees "adopted" three families, from the moms and dads, to toddlers and teenagers. Each family member received personal gifts that they listed on their wish lists, and even though the families has written the lists themselves, they still seemed overwhelmed, surprised and extremely grateful to have received their gifts under the tree.

In a note addressed "Dear Christmas Angel," an eleven-year-old little girl excitedly wrote, "I'm so thankful for the gifts I received, I can't even explain it! Thank you so much for the alarm clock, I've always wanted one. And I can't believe I actually got the Holiday Barbie!"

Another thank you note received from the mother of one of last year's adopted families reminded Provell employees of the reason they continue to participate in this wonderful volunteer opportunity year after year. It read in part, "Your goodness and generosity gave our family a Christmas none of us will ever forget! All that you did for us overwhelms me. I had no idea there was any kind of program or help available like this. Now that we do know, it is in my heart to be able to do this for someone else in the future."

This year Provell employees will help to ensure three more families won't go without a celebration this holiday season despite difficult times. There are several philanthropic and community-based organizations available online that sponsor similar "adopt-a-family" programs, and Provell employees hope that other companies follow suit. Bovy said, "It's a great opportunity for colleagues to get together and have fun during the holidays, while helping others at the same time."

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