May 3, 2012
Hobart Brothers, ITW Food Equipment Group Raise Over $25K for Junior Achievement
TROY, Ohio. May 2, 2011 — Hobart Brothers LLC and ITW Food Equipment Group hosted the First Annual Junior Achievement Bowl-A-Thon on Saturday, April 21, 2012. The event, held at Poelking Marian Lanes in Huber Heights, OH, raised over $25,000 to support Junior Achievement educational programs in financial literacy, career readiness and entrepreneurship for grades K-12.
recently hosted a Bowl-A-Thon to raise money for the Jr.
Achievement program. Here with a check for the donation are:
left to right, Mark Thibeault and Jennifer Monnin, Hobart Brothers
Company; Dan Trick – Executive Director, Junior Achievement
OKI Partners, Inc; Marc Fooksman and Brian Kadel – ITW Food
Equipment Group.
The event consisted of 130 bowlers composing 26 teams, each of which raised money in advance of the Bowl-a-Thon and had a $500 fundraising goal per team. Contributions collected from employees received a 3-to-1 match by parent company, Illinois Tool Works (ITW). Donations were also collected from individuals outside of the two companies and by way of a day-of-the event raffle. Raffle items were donated from business units within Hobart Brothers LLC and ITW Food Equipment Group. Hobart Brothers LLC executive assistant, Letha Allen served as event coordinator for the Bowl-A-Thon, organizing the teams, fundraising efforts and the raffle.
“When we were first approached by Junior Achievement about hosting this event, we had no idea it would be so successful,” says Marc Fooksman, vice president & GM, food machines at ITW Food Equipment Group, and also one of the event coordinators. “We are pleased that so many employees and their families got involved. It was a good community event for a great organization – Junior Achievement allows kids the opportunity to learn aspects about business that they just don’t get in their regular curriculum.”
Jennifer Monnin, general manager, tubular wire division at Hobart Brothers LLC adds, “Helping support a great cause like Junior Achievement is important to us. Not only does it give the kids in the program a good opportunity to learn, but it also engages our employees in the community. The interaction has such a positive effect.”
Neither Hobart Brothers LLC, nor the ITW Food Equipment Group is a stranger to Junior Achievement. Both businesses have made commitments over the past three years to serve as mentors and teach the Junior Achievement programs to 3rd graders at Heywood Elementary School, 6th graders in Forest School and 6th graders in Van Cleve Middle School. The goal of the companies’ involvement with Junior Achievement is to teach the students about everything from the various cultures involved in the global marketplace to caring for personal finances.