By Steve Brester, Director of IT, for the Tradition of Giving blog series
When most people raise funds for a good cause, they know what organization they are supporting. In the case of HRG, we raised funds all throughout 2018 from casual dress days, 50/50 raffles, and special lunches, but we didn’t know who the money would go to. At the end of the year, it was up to each department to choose a deserving recipient of our portion of the funds.
It is certainly not easy to choose from the plethora of amazing organizations. However, my department knew we wanted to choose a local group. With my son in the military, I had heard of a local non-profit called Fisher House, which is located at our VA Medical Center.
Our VA Medical Center serves more than the surrounding Milwaukee community, with many patients traveling hours to be treated there. Many families have to make financial sacrifices with travel and lodging, so the Fisher House offers 16 bedroom suites to accommodate single travelers or larger families, at no expense to them.
The families share meals together and share their joys and sorrows in a safe, welcoming environment. When we heard all that Fisher House does for our veterans, we couldn’t help but to choose them as the recipient of our share of the charity funds.
I love being able to give back to our community. Finding new and innovative ways to give back is rewarding — it gives a good feeling not only to me, but to our organization at large.