How businesses can get creative during this year’s Give Local York
- York County businesses of all sizes can be part of the annual day of giving in their own way.
Giving back is a core value for Cait Steel’s business, YorkFit.
“We put our hands and feet into doing good in our community,” says Cait, who owns the York Township gym with her husband, Tim. “People like that feeling of being drawn to a greater purpose.”
In 2021, Cait got the YorkFit community involved in its first Give Local York — an annual 24-hour giving extravaganza involving hundreds of York County nonprofits and thousands of donors.
Many of those donors come from businesses, where organizations of all sizes find creative ways to be philanthropic during the day of giving.
‘Giving is an opportunity’
Cait and her YorkFit team offered pay-to-play workouts where all ages and skill levels could row, ski, and bike their way to a virtual finish line on YorkFit workout machines. The YorkFit team came up with a list of seven organizations to support, then created a Google Poll for patrons to vote on their favorites.
The top three organizations received the biggest donations of over $1200 each, including Olivia’s House Grief Counseling Center, Special Olympics of York County, and York County Rail Trail Authority. Smaller donations went to York Literacy Council, Not One More – York, Bartz Brigade, and LifePath Christian Ministries. Overall, YorkFit raised just over $6000 last year.
They also involved several other local businesses in the festivities, setting up tables at the gym and hosting their own fundraisers.
“If we want everyone to be seen, heard, and loved, we have to show that,” Cait says. “Giving is an opportunity to let other people flourish and contribute.”
For Give Local York 2022, the event will offer many of the same outlets while adding a silent auction and Give Local t-shirts, among other things. YorkFit will be posting more details on their Facebook and Instagram.
Wagman puts community at its core
Being generous and building up the community isn’t just a small business core value. Wagman, a fourth-generation, family-owned general contracting business headquartered in York, encourages a mindset of giving among its employees.
Project Executive Jim Paschke, who has worked at other construction companies throughout his career, says he’s never experienced a community-focused culture like he has at Wagman.
“Wagman has really heightened my sense of awareness to community giving,” Jim says. “Because they are so open to helping wherever they can, they make me more aware of organizations in the area and ways to help.”
The company pays its employees for eight hours of volunteering each year and also matches giving contributions.
For Give Local York, Wagman will send out emails to its employees highlighting the nonprofit organizations they have worked with in the past. Employees can then choose which organizations they want to donate to.
“I think the company truly believes in what they’re doing and wants to make a difference in the community,” Jim says. “There’s no pressure, but they educate, make you aware, support you, and the leadership leads by example. They’ve changed my outlook on community giving.”
Give Local York is coming May 6, 2022
On May 6, 2022, The White Rose Leadership Institute is hosting Give Local York. The 24-hour online giving event helps raise money for over 300 non-profit organizations supporting York County. For businesses interested in hosting a Give Local business fundraiser, visit www.givelocalyork.org/info/business-toolkit.