Penske Associates Supply Students with Fresh Start to School Year
September 13, 2019
Editor’s note: This story is part of our “50 Stories of People Helping People” series. As we celebrate Penske’s 50th anniversary in 2019, we are spotlighting associates every Friday who are making a difference in their communities.
<p>In communities across the U.S. and Canada, <a href="https://www.gopenske.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Penske</a> associates came together this summer to help give children the best start to the school year through a series of back-to-school supply drives.</p><p>Whether collecting school supply basics or helping to fill backpacks, associates were eager to do their part to make an impact in their local communities.</p><p>This week’s installment of “50 Stories of People Helping People” provides a snapshot from some recent back-to-school events.</p><p>For many associates, the opportunity to give came with its own reward – a deeper sense of connection with their communities and the feeling that comes with making a positive impact in a child’s life.</p><p><strong>West Foxboro, Massachusetts</strong></p><p>The cost of providing school supplies for children can be a struggle for many families, but especially for military families.</p><p>Through Operation Backpack, the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation has sought to provide backpacks and school supplies to children from military families.</p><p>This year, Penske associates participated in the event, which provided 15,000 backpacks filled with school supplies for students.</p><p>“This was a great fit for us because we had several different companies in New England, with a lot of ability to make things happen, who brought unique resources to the project,” said Matt Henry, district manager in Cranston, Rhode Island.</p><p>The filled backpacks were loaded onto 10 Penske trucks for delivery to military families. “We were able to bring our transportation resources to get the backpacks delivered to their destination,” Henry said.</p><p>While this was the first year that Penske associates participated in the backpack event, Henry expects associates will volunteer again next year.</p><p><img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c582269b651c0fb4f718d45dfa4d9606" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="ba7d3" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMTk5NDYwMC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNTIwMDUyOH0._eUH6v35mF17zGrbYSNHob9qiHys4GaI-GKgR3Q0-Sg/img.jpg?width=980"/></p><p><strong>Groton, Connecticut</strong></p><p>Associates in Groton, Connecticut, turned a Touch-A-Truck (TAT) event to promote a new Penske location into a back-to-school supply drive.</p><p>The kid-centered event featured plenty of Penske trucks, including a sleeper, panel van and a pair of cube trucks.</p><p>“A school supply item was the cost of admission,” said Elizabeth Bernardini, a rental representative in Franklin, Massachusetts, who organized the event. “We wanted to make sure we were giving back to the community.”</p><p><img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="de63877a4faea9541fbe5a966a960f01" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="16d9c" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMTk5NDYwMS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MDQyOTY5NX0.PsLVQ5iV7ND7oiOoVz6cOr9OqFLU5Qj2G2uU8jxNelg/img.jpg?width=980"/></p><p>All of the supplies were donated to the Groton Public School District. “It was nice to see so many people coming out to donate to the school district,” Bernardini said.</p><p>Associates from Groton and as far away as Penske’s Providence, Rhode Island, district volunteered to assist with the TAT event.</p><p><strong>Orlando, Florida</strong></p><p>Across the Orlando District, rental, service, and administrative associates collected more than 600 school supply items to benefit students across Central Florida.</p><p>Branch rental managers helped select schools in the communities to collaborate with, and each manager was responsible for placing donation boxes in the locations. The donations came from associates, as well as customers.</p><p>The drive “helped spread the word about Penske and that we wanted to do great things for our communities,” said Kimberly Hamilton, assistant district rental manager in Orlando, and the organizer of the drive.</p><p><img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="73330761ea3c402a8091c962d83bee35" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="0d3f5" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMTk5NDYwMy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyODk3MDA4MH0.DgXDo7T0Ld0_ONqaJ_7tYYpx1wE2vJyGyPwRqDqNaZc/img.jpg?width=980"/></p><p>In all, Penske associates in Daytona, Melbourne, Ocala and Orlando participated. Each branch rental manager personally delivered the items to the schools in their communities.</p><p>“When they met the people who were going to receive the supplies, it gave them a different outlook,” Hamilton said. “They could see how thankful people were for the supplies.”</p><p><strong>Montreal, Quebec</strong></p><p>Penske’s location in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, partnered with the Chamber of Commerce of Montreal East to provide school supplies for 30 children in need.</p><p>The supplies were collected during the Chamber’s annual golf tournament and presented to Regroupement Partage, an individual and family services organization located in Montreal.</p><p><img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2eaeee5d5a5dcf6186f44a7a63befa34" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="4b62d" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMTk5NDYwNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NTkzMTM3NX0.ZnEpa2IPqf12JyfMpU8XE0SpFpQSsXUcwdQ-7LjJhfk/img.jpg?width=980"/></p><p>“Many attending the golf tournament donated school supplies and money,” said Vincent Fortier, a lease sales representative in Saint Laurent, Quebec, who participated in the drive.</p><p>A Penske rental truck was donated to help collect and transport the donations to the organization.</p><p><strong>Reading, Pennsylvania</strong></p><p>At Penske’s corporate headquarters in Reading, Pennsylvania, associates collected school supplies for two local elementary schools.</p><p>For the past several years, Penske’s United Way at Work Committee has organized the Supply Our Schools Drive to assist students at Riverside and Laurer’s Park Elementary schools in the Reading School District.</p><p>“I think associates respond to this drive year after year because they understand how important it is to invest in our local students and their education,” said Haley Mohn, staffing systems and process administrator, who organized the drive. “They understand that all students aren’t afforded the luxury of starting the school year with the necessities, and they want to help.”</p><p><img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6b1d3602878a4e7d50a867a4cdede03b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="4e692" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMTk5NDYwNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MzA0MDY0MH0.NWfitGwhchqINQMFQ84DGIociS_uWQx_PhQYptD3mI4/img.jpg?width=980"/></p><p>Associates donated backpacks, pencil cases, pencils, erasers, pens, notebooks, folders, crayons, markers, colored pencils, glue, protractors, rulers, hand sanitizers and tissues.</p><p>“The generosity of Penske associates is unparalleled. We receive donations from both entire departmental efforts and generous individual contributors,” Mohn said. “Between the actual school supply donations, and the commitment of time to organize and package the supplies, Penske associates are incredibly generous.”</p><p><em>By Bernie Mixon</em></p> </div>
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Associates Donate Backpacks and School Supplies to Students
August 16, 2019
Editor’s note: This story is part of our “50 Stories of People Helping People” series. As we celebrate Penske’s 50th anniversary in 2019, we are spotlighting associates every Friday who are making a difference in their communities.
<p>The blush of a new school year filled with hope and promise can soften for families struggling to equip students with basic school supplies.</p><p>Recognizing the need, a group of Penske associates recently joined with the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Reading (DT) to provide 550 new backpacks filled with school supplies for students in Reading, Pennsylvania.</p><p><img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="60dd96096f85ad8c7db0217b953a9c1c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="386f9" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMTk5NDU4MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MDkwNDQ4Nn0.OykZkYulY4zQofbUZQiL6x1FodoIofJhOjaP4-mqh4k/img.jpg?width=980"/></p><p>On a recent sun-kissed summer day, the backpacks were distributed from a yellow Penske truck to the arms of boys and girls who gathered with their families for the DT’s second annual Back to School and Community Resource event.</p><p>“If a child has all the materials they need to succeed in school then that is a hurdle they don’t have to jump to get excited about learning, and that’s what this is all about,” said Cassandra Brennand, senior manager of leadership and organizational development.</p><p>Among the countless smiles were those from Penske associates who embraced the backpack giveaway as part community service and part team-building effort.</p><p>“It was a great networking event for our associates to get together to have some fun and do great work for the community,” Brennand said.</p><p><strong>People Helping People </strong></p><p>This was the second year for the DT’s community-wide back-to-school event. In addition to the backpacks and school supplies, the event featured vendors and a cookout.</p><p>Last year, the hotel collected 200 backpacks, only to see them be out-paced by the need.</p><p>“Within 20 minutes they were gone. The hardest part for me was seeing people walking away without having a backpack or supplies,” said Alneasa Jordan, DT’s culture manager and director of human resources.</p><p>“We turned away a lot of people last year so that is why I wanted to partner with Penske,” Jordan said. “I knew you would make a dent in what we were trying to do.”</p><p>Yet, Jordan said she did not attach a goal to this year’s backpack drive.</p><p>“I was open to whatever we could get help with,” Jordan said. “When I heard the number of backpacks Penske was going to donate, I almost fell out of my chair. Those backpacks are going to help so many people, and we are so very grateful.”</p><p>Penske’s involvement in the backpack initiative grew from another outreach effort. The DT manages a Care Closet to benefit its employees. Penske associates, who were part of the company's Accelerated Development Program for Emerging Leaders, partnered with the DT to add to their Care Closet as part of the group's leadership development curriculum and team-building activity.</p><p>It was after this outreach that Penske’s Brennand said she learned about the backpack drive and last year’s shortfall. “We were more than happy to help out,” she said.</p><p>Joining with the DT in such an impactful community effort fits in with Penske’s core values. This year the company will celebrate its 50<sup>th</sup> anniversary.</p><p>“I think over the past 50 years Penske has been quietly serving our communities, and it’s just in our DNA,” said Erica Manento, director of executive succession and development. “We care about each other and the communities where we live and work in, and our collaboration with DT really highlights that.”</p><p><img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f30b4d084b0a3d4b0691eb1d6e4fd8a4" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="01d77" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMTk5NDU4MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzE4ODI5N30.9oCskM6GqDfUyxYRlb2CLYLrU6RswmE15oy324aG2SM/img.jpg?width=980"/></p><p>The company purchased new backpacks and supplies – notebooks, pencils, pens, calculators and pencil sharpeners for the children. Penske’s Reading District also donated a rental truck as well as 50 backpacks filled with supplies.</p><p>“We like to get involved in different charitable events. We try to do one a quarter as a district, and this fit right in,” said Michelle Gentile, Reading district manager.</p><p><strong>Penske Strong </strong></p><p>The night before the distribution, Penske’s district managers, branch rental managers, maintenance supervisors and management trainees – some 100 strong, in Reading for training events – forged an alliance and an assembly line to fill each backpack with much-needed school supplies.</p><p>“This is what Penske looks like,” said Jessica Stahl, manager of talent and organizational development. “We have all of our maintenance supervisors, branch rental managers, district managers and management trainees here supporting this event. This is one Penske, one cause, one everything.”</p><p><img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4e0201056b9e6568849902bc4c7c4a3e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="ea9e1" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMTk5NDU4Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMzU5ODUyMX0.SHfD6JVF89h6to_HvRUjoVNmf10-nepfiRFpL-Kn4vw/img.jpg?width=980"/></p><p>It was a feeling shared by many.</p><p>Karen Banfield, a district manager from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, said the backpack experience was motivational and inspirational. “It was interesting to see how everybody pitched in,” Banfield said. “We all had a great time doing it. It was such a good feeling.”</p><p>Desiree Clarabal, a district manager from Honolulu, Hawaii, said that feeling of giving back permeates all levels of the company. “Even at the district level it is something that we look forward to doing – giving back to the community and children or whatever the cause might be,” she said.</p><p>When Matthew Chapa, a management trainee from Huntington, West Virginia, learned about the backpack initiative, he was excited to do his part. “It made me excited that we were doing something good for a good cause for the community,” he said.</p><p>Branch rental managers Kristen Uzelac, Kevin Maloney and Nolan Bartiss may be separated geographically but all were united in their appreciation for the chance to bond with so many associates through the backpack donation.</p><p>“It is a great community outreach especially with so many levels of the company here whether it be new management trainees or new branch rental managers or district managers,” said Bartiss from Aurora, Colorado. “It is a great way for all levels of the company to come together to reach out to the community.”</p><p>Uzelac agreed.</p><p>“It is awesome because you have management trainees collaborating with levels of upper management, all working together for the same cause, for the same community, which is an incredible thing,” said Uzelac from Phoenix, Arizona. “It shows what Penske is all about – everyone working together for something greater.”</p><p>For many like Maloney, the backpack event was memorable.</p><p>"It was something that everyone involved felt committed to doing as soon as we found out about it, and it was a highlight of the week for many involved,” said Maloney from Indianapolis, Indiana.</p><p>On the day of the backpack distribution, as she stood near the Penske truck taking in the impact of all the associates accomplished, Shalimar Davis, district manager in South Las Vegas, Nevada, said the effort to assist children in need was a “true blessing” for the associates involved.</p><p>“I think it is a true blessing for us to have the opportunity to serve the community. To see the community gather around like this is a great thing to see and a true blessing that we get to be a part of it and give back,” she said. “We feel touched in a way that we want to give back more in our own communities.”</p><p>“It is a testament to what I already knew that this is a great company to be a part of and being a part of our communities is something that is important from the top down,” she said.</p><p><em>By Bernie Mixon </em></p> </div>
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