November 29, 2024
Our annual United Way fundraising campaign has now come to a close. Every year, our Calgary/Canadian Pasonites fundraise with all proceeds going to the United Way of Calgary and Area. We do this through various fundraising events, both in-person and virtual, so Pason, Energy Toolbase (ETB) and Intelligent Wellhead Systems (IWS) employees can come together for a good cause but also have a little fun while doing it.
This year, we were also fortunate to be able to include IWS in our fundraising efforts for the first time!
We raised a total of $50,167! We blew our initial goal of $20,000 out of the water and beat what we raised last year. This number includes Pason’s donation match up to $10,000.
What a whirlwind the last three weeks were!
As usual, we brought back our United Way App!
Our app is a one-stop shop for our virtual fundraising initiatives. Hosted through the app, we held our 50/50 and Wine Draw—two events that were extremely popular this year! We raised more than $1,500 for both events combined, and the winner of our 50/50 went home with more than $1,000!
Our Silent Auction, which is always a huge hit, was also available on the app. This year, we raised more than $7,000 for our Silent Auction alone, and we had some amazing donations!
Our Silent Auction always includes donations from suppliers and Pason, IWS, and ETB employees. We get unique contributions, including many experience-based items—like an evening at Launchpad with our CEO, a professionally cooked meal, and a golfing excursion and dinner! That’s only a snapshot of what was available for bidding—we had a whopping 67 items donated this year! Wow!
One of our main areas of fundraising every year is Payroll Donations, where employees can fill out pledge forms through our United Way App and donate through payroll deductions. This year, through Payroll Donations alone, we raised more than $24,000.
Of course, we couldn’t run a campaign without our in-person events, and this year, due to our Calgary office being renovated, we had to get a little creative. Instead of hosting our events at the Pason Head Office in Calgary, we hosted our events at the Blackfoot Hotel!
Employees enjoyed an amazing catered taco lunch at the hotel. Following lunch, we hosted our annual Hobby Horse Races once again! For anyone confused about what Hobby Horse Races might be, it’s exactly what it sounds like. In a series of timed match-ups, employees gallop with a hobby horse to see who will be the fastest while attendees wager on who they think will win! This year, we sweetened the pot for racers, offering additional prizes for Best-Dressed Racer and Best-Named Horse!
This year was an extremely successful fundraiser, and all of our employees’ donations go to the United Way of Calgary and Area, benefitting those in the city. Pason has been involved with United Way since the 90s, always finding unique ways to raise money. Recently, we were honoured at the 2023 Community Impact Awards for Workplace Excellence.
Thank you to everyone who participated, donated and supported our United Way Campaign this year!
For more information on the United Way of Calgary and Area, visit calgaryunitedway.org.
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