RbA Affiliates From Around the Country Volunteer at Annual Retailer Summit

Smiles abound as group delivers "big boxes of cheer" to Douglas and Nancy Barnhart Cancer Center.

The week of the Renewal by Andersen annual Retailer Summit, held this year in San Diego, CA, got off to a heartwarming start as RbA volunteers from all across the North America network partnered with Cheeriodicals to assemble and deliver 200-plus "big green boxes of cheer" to  American Cancer Society (ACS) patients at the Douglas and Nancy Barnhart Cancer Center at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center on January 26. 

This was the fourth annual Summit Cheeriodicals, and 100+ individuals spent the afternoon assembling the gift boxes, which were filled with items designed to bring a it of sunshine and joy to adults receiving cancer treatments at the center. The gift box included including magazines and activity books, adult coloring books and colored pencils, a travel kit with essential toiletries, a journal with personal well-wishes from the RbA volunteers, and a warm pair of socks and a thick, plush blanket. It also marked another successful event in the partnership between Renewal by Andersen and the ACS. 

“The American Cancer Society takes pride in helping cancer patients cope with their diagnosis and access  the care they need. The Cheeriodicals are the perfect way to brighten a patient’s day while he/she is undergoing cancer treatment,” says Keely Couillard, Director Corporate Relations American Cancer Society. 

As with all Cheeriodicals events, the regional Two Men and a Truck franchise (Two Men and a Truck San Diego), volunteered their truck and staff to pick up all the gift boxes and deliver them to the hospital where a smaller team from Andersen then helped deliver the gifts to the hospital and met with some of the patients.

One member of that RbA group was Tiffany Campbell, marketing manager for the Southard group--a collection of Renewal by Andersens across Ohio, Nebraska, and Kansas. This was her first Cheeriodicals. Campbell, who lost her mother to cancer, decided to take an early morning flight in before the rest of her team so she could attend the event.  "Sure, 6 am flights are not fun," she says. "But being able to be a part of this event with Cheeriodicals and the American Cancer Society is more than worth having to wake up at 3:45am to make said flight. Not only did I get to be part of the team that put together these awesome boxes together, I was also able to be part of the team that got to deliver them to cancer patients. I am very blessed to be able to give back to those currently fighting an awful disease that has forever impacted my life… and I think this would make my mom very proud."

“Being a presence in the communities in which our employees work and live is one of the cornerstones of Renewal’s values. Individually, our locations all across the country are committed to giving back, so to be able to all come together here, work as a team, and bring some smiles to the patients and their families at the Cancer Center…we are so proud and pleased,” says Paul Delahunt, President of Renewal by Andersen.

Gary Parisher is president of Cheeriodicals. He says, "We are thrilled to work with the Renewal by Andersen team for the 4th consecutive year to bring cheer to hospitalized patients. We are especially excited this year because this is the first event we’ve conducted that focused exclusively on American Cancer Society patients.  We are appreciative of Renewal by Andersen for including Cheeriodicals in their efforts to give back to their communities and support this patient group.”