EPR Plays Santa Claus

By Julia Ball

I’ve been an employee with Engage PR for a little over three months now, but have been involved with the company for a little over five years. My mom, Cindy Foley, is the director of operations, and I just joined the team as the office manager. I’ve attended several volunteer events that EPR has participated in over the years, but this last event was definitely the most rewarding.

One of our employees, Johnny Truong, coordinated this year’s holiday event at the Perinatal Council in Oakland. We served dinner and played Santa to 17 families who didn’t have much of their own to celebrate the holiday with. Most of the people we met were young mothers with infants and toddlers.

Johnny coordinated with an organization called Dinner Source, which donates meals to events such as this one, to supply a huge amount of food, including a few turkeys, mashed potatoes, lemongrass chicken, and chili. EPR chipped in by bringing other dishes and also decorated the dining room to make the night as festive as possible.

The night was a great success!  In between the time spent serving and eating, we sat down with the families and played with the adorable babies, which was a blast!  The moms of EPR, especially our newest mom, Armi, definitely stood out as having the most fun playing “peek-a-boo” and taking Polaroid pictures, which we gave to the moms and kids as mementos. The kids were very camera friendly and loved watching their images come into focus! Of course, the kids’ favorite part of the evening was when EPR handed them their toys! EPR also provided gift cards for the mothers to use on items like diapers and food.

Overall, each one of us left that night with smiles on our faces, fulfilled for having helped those in need, especially during the holiday season. To work with such generous and willing individuals is quite a gift, and it makes me very thankful to be a part of it.

Comments

[Barbara Bunn McCullough, Ph.D.]

To the Engage PR Team,

I want to add my thanks for the memories and the wonderful time we had with your team. It was such a gift to be able to bring together our staff and families and just sit down to eat a wonderful meal together. The team decorated our space, brought food, and served served the wonderful meal. The toys and gift cards were a huge hit. You made everyone feel so special.

You are a very ENGAGing Team!

Barbara