One of the things I was taught early in my career is the importance of giving back. In fact, my now business partner, Mike Thomas, created Fit4School over a decade ago at our Georgia headquarters.. We wanted to find a way to provide support to the community that had been so generous to us. After some brainstorming, we launched a free back-to-school event to set students returning to school up for success. More than just a school supply drive, we provided an opportunity for kids to to fully prepare for the school year in with their health and wellness in mind.
We quickly found health-related local businesses to donate their time and skills in the way of dental checks, vision/ hearing screenings,and more! What began with a couple of hundred kids has now reached over 3,000 children served in the Aiken/Augusta marketsWhen onboarding new clients, one of our first conversations is centered around core values. Loving our community is really important to us so we really get excited when we can partner with clients who also share a passion for giving back.
Our clients at Jewel Toned Interiors were immediately on board when we brought this idea to the table and gravitated towards our largest sponsorship packet. (Shhh they don’t know this, but their immediate enthusiasm and support had me holding back tears as I signed them up as one of our first sponsors!)
It was such a humbling and exciting experience for me to bring Fit 4 School to the South Florida market. I was absolutely overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and support from clients, vendors, and friends in this community. It was a true collaboration between everyone involved. Together we served over 70 families and helped kids from kindergarten to college age get ready for school. Stay tuned, because next year will be even bigger!
In addition to supplies and screenings, sponsors were given the freedom to create an activity to engage with the children and families. Without a doubt one of the most exciting and engaging opportunities was for children to experience interior design while playing with the finishes at the Jewel Toned Interiors table. There is such a need for talented young people in this growing industry. It’s even more exciting when we see diversity in minorities ranging from gender to ethnicity that find an interest in the creative realm of construction.
Seeing the smiling faces of these children and their families was so rewarding! I am so thankful and honored to have clients with big hearts that really want to make a difference in our world. Thank you JTI! Looking forward to next year!