The Gift That Keeps on Giving

A recent Together We Rise grad, whose college education is an enduring gift.

By Alan Wolf, YSN

This past holiday season, BrandSource members, vendors and staff ponied up well north of $200,000 for the group’s charity partner of choice, Together We Rise (TWR).

The donation put BrandSource in the rarified position of “Superhero Partner,” an honor it shares with the likes of global corporations like Toyota, AIG, MetLife and JetBlue.

First suggested by AVB Marketing staffer Amanda Nelson, the California non-profit was selected for its work on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of children and young adults adrift in the nation’s foster care system. By partnering with social workers, child advocacy groups, volunteers, and organizations like BrandSource, Together We Rise helps ease the anxiety and uncertainty of foster care placement and can change the outlook for these kids.

BrandSource is in good company with fellow TWR Superheroes.

One area where TRW clearly makes a difference, and stands out from other agencies, is its efforts on behalf of the college bound. Rather than dismiss foster care clientele as they age out of the system, the group’s Family Fellowship program provides tuition assistance, housing, and career and life-skills support for selected students — 95 percent of whom go on to earn their college degrees.

As commencement season comes to a close, Nelson shared pictures of recent Family Fellowship graduates on the AVB Teams portal (see photo, above). She also reminded AVB staff that as employees of a Superhero Partner, they can make recurring donations to TRW through payroll deductions. Deductions in any amount can be arranged on the 2021 Benefit Enrollment page of Paycom, and one-time donations can be made by texting AVBGIVES to 44321.

“The vision of this program is to change the [future] of foster youth … by providing continued support through their college journey,” Nelson said — which is certainly a gift that will keep on giving.

BrandSource, a unit of YSN publisher AVB Inc., is a nationwide buying group for independent appliance, furniture, mattress and CE dealers.

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