From buying toys to wrapping gifts to dashing to and fro from Merrillville to Chicago, our little elves have been hard at work over the last week!

Today, we were able to spread the holiday cheer at Alice L. Barnard Elementary School in Chicago where we celebrated our Christmas toy giveaway.

All students in the school ranging from pre-school through 8^th grade received a holiday gift.

We were even joined by one of Santa’s elves and the Grinch himself! 

Photos from 2023 Chicago Toy Giveaway:

Lerner & Rowe Gives Back had the pleasure to grant $50,000 to the Valleywise Health Foundation to help build the pediatric burn unit in the new 75,000 square-foot Diane and Bruce Halle Arizona Burn Center. This was just the first of three donations to be granted over a three year commitment for a grand total of $150,000! 

During the check presentation, we also had the honor to meet the director of the burn center Doctor Kevin Foster, as well as a past pediatric burn survivor that had been treated at Valleywise Health. 

Valleywise Health (VH) is home to Arizona’s only nationally verified burn center, where thousands of patients each year put their trust in its clinicians to provide specialized care needed to begin their recovery. 

Unlike other health systems, more than 70% of VH patients are financially vulnerable. While other organizations provide similar health-related services, VH is the only healthcare system in Arizona with a specific mission to serve those populations who are most at-risk in our community.

With a focus on helping young burn injury patients not only survive, but also to thrive during and after medical care, the new pediatric burn unit will feature:

• A secured pediatric unit with doors separating it from the adult treatment areas to promote safety, minimize disruptions in a child’s healing process, and reduce ongoing exposure to difficult sights and sounds encountered during burn treatment.
• Child Life specialists who provide a critical role in maintaining the emotional well-being of pediatric patients in the hospital. The new Diane and Bruce Halle Arizona Burn Center will have a dedicated pediatric playroom and teen room to give young patients a safe space to regain a level of normalcy during their hospitalization.
• Private rooms that provide a safe space for recovery for all patients.
• Family comfort rooms.
• A state-of-the-art Wellness Center for rehabilitation therapy that fosters long-term survivorship care.

Learn more about Valleywise Health Foundation and its new burn center at valleywisehealthfoundation.org.

Lerner & Rowe Gives Back granted HUNKAPI $10,000 to help support its First Responders therapy program across four seasons, serving approximately 50 First Responders and allowing HUNKAPI to work with various fire and police departments to budget their funds to directly support future activities year-round. 

HUNKAPI has been an Arizona not-for-profit organization since 1996. It operates on a 10-acre farm in north Scottsdale. The organization’s herd of specially trained therapy horses now numbers over two dozen. It serves about 300 children, youth, and adults weekly through its equine therapy program, along with First Responders recovering from PTSD and other special programs and projects. 

Learn more about this organization and all the ways it uplifts and positively impacts local community members at hunkapi.org.

Dear Lerner & Rowe,

Thank you so much for Lerner & Rowe Gives Back’s generous $10,000 sponsorship of our Children’s Museum of Phoenix’s Candy Land Gala. We had a very successful evening in support of our Every Child Program which allows us to give underserved children free/reduced Museum admission.

Thank you so much again for your commitment to bettering the community.

Sincerely,

Georgie Hanlin
Director of Development
Children’s Museum of Phoenix

Put On the Cape was granted $10,000 from Lerner and Rowe Gives Back in 2023. As such, our Phoenix Gives Back team had the honor of participating alongside Put On the Cape and local police departments in a holiday caravan to present $2,000 checks to 5 designated family advocacy centers in Peoria, Avondale, Chandler, Scottsdale, and Glendale. 

Advocacy centers operate on limited budgets, especially when it comes to essential items. As a special treat for the holidays, these centers will use the granted funds to purchase gifts for children who have faced abuse, neglect, or trafficking.

Learn more about Put On the Cape at putonthecape.org.

More photos from additional check presentations:

Dear Lerner & Rowe,

We would like to express our deepest gratitude for your generosity in providing Albuquerque Collegiate Charter School with 25 Thanksgiving food bags that will provide our families with the food assistance they need for the holidays. We, at Albuquerque Collegiate, greatly appreciate your donation, time and efforts. Your support helps to further our mission of educating all students for college graduation and life success.

Your support is invaluable to our community. If there is any way that Albuquerque Collegiate can support you and Lerner and Rowe in the future please do not hesitate to contact us. The impact of your generosity is immeasurable to the lives and learning of our students and their families.

With gratitude,
Albuquerque Collegiate Charter School

November 24, 2023

Dear Lerner & Rowe,

Thank you so very much for attending and participating in the 9th Annual Circle of Care Gala! We greatly appreciate your time, efforts and support for the Erik Hite Foundation! We are so fortunate to have such wonderful champions for our mission.

Your generosity has helped to continue the foundation’s ability to provide beneficial supportive services and programs to local Southern Arizona first responders, military members and their families. This includes the foundation’s signature Child Development Center on the east side, the new expansion projects into southwest Tucson, our significant other and spouse support groups, along with an array of mental health and wellness initiatives, all to help local first responders who selflessly serve our community.

Thanks to sponsors and donors like you, we were able to all come together and achieve a record breaking year for the Circle of Care! With your help this year’s gala raised over $240,000 nearly reaching our goal of $250,000! This year’s event was also attended by more than 450 guests. Our guests, patrons, volunteers, and board members enjoyed a wonderful evening of fun, networking, inspiration, and honoring those who put their lives on the line in service to our community. None of this could have been accomplished without you.

The Erik Hite Foundation is growing by leaps and bounds, and is experiencing considerable expansion to help serve an even greater number of first responder families. Your participation in this year’s event has helped to ensure these efforts for the future!

The Thanksgiving Meal Giveaways tour of 2023 concluded in Merrillville, marking our final stop where, just before the holiday, we distributed 1,000 FREE Thanksgiving meal packages.

Each meal package included side fixings and a frozen turkey. We also handed out light refreshments and snacks to share with local community members. 

Our team is immensely grateful for all the individuals whose support and contributions helped make it possible, as well as for those who showed up and shared in the spirit of the season. 

Photos from 2023 Merrillville Thanksgiving Meal Giveaway:

During our last Arizona Thanksgiving Meal Giveaway stop, we distributed 750 meal bundles in Yuma.

As families lined up in their vehicles to drive-thru and grab their bag of goodies, team members were thrilled at the chance to take part in the spirit of the season–showing compassion and kindness towards others. 

It was also another opportunity for us to express our gratitude for being given the opportunity to offer a friendly hand and bit of light and love with a community we proudly serve. 

Our Bullhead City Thanksgiving Meal Giveaway was a huge success! As the fifth stop during our nationwide “It’s All Gravy” tour, we distributed 500 Thanksgiving meal packages to families within the community who may have otherwise done without this year. 

We also enjoyed connecting with local families and spreading a bit of holiday cheer in Bullhead City.

The smiles and heartfelt thanks shared with our team were another priceless gift that filled us with gratitude.