Winter holidays conjure thoughts of festive decorations, traditional foods and special meals, parties with friends and family, and warm nights full of cheer. Unfortunately, there are thousands of people – including many of FirstGroup America’s own employees – who lost their possessions, homes and loved ones during Hurricane Sandy. The company and its employees teamed together during the holiday season to raise funds, collect supplies, and give back to our team and all those affected by the storm. The results were both heartwarming and generous. A few are outlined below.
First Student’s Ebensburg, PA location teamed with the Central Cambria School District to stuff two buses with supplies, including groceries, personal care items, baby necessities and other sundries. District Superintendent Dr. Vincent DiLeo joined First Student Location Manager Debra Ley and others to deliver the goods to nearby New Jersey.
First Student Director of Vehicle and Parts Procurement Ray Fattore was scheduled to run his first marathon in New York. When it was cancelled, he committed to participating in the Charlotte Thunder Road Marathon and opened a fundraising page, which raised hundreds of dollars for the American Red Cross’ Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.
First Transit’s Region 3 operators assisted more than 75 special needs residents back to their Atlantic City homes. In addition, operators transported evacuees to and from the Atlantic City Convention Center the week following the hurricane.
When FirstGroup provided employees with their annual holiday turkey gift certificates, hundreds offered to give them back to help those who had lost everything. The result was more than $50,000 in grocery store gift cards delivered to FirstGroup employees affected by the storm.
First Student, First Transit and Greyhound donated $30,000 to the American Red Cross to assist with Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.
“We are committed to giving back to the communities we serve,” said Linda Burtwistle, First Student president. “We are very proud of the generosity shown by our First Student, First Transit and Greyhound employees and hope that these efforts help bring holiday joy to those who have suffered tremendous loss.”