Теплі історії • Arriba!

Creative Idea
Craft

It's that time of year again when companies are busy planning their budgets for holiday gifts to give to their clients. The brainstorming begins, and they start wondering what to come up with this time. A notebook and pen? A T-shirt with our logo on it? Maybe a calendar featuring the smiling faces of our accounting team? Or how about a ukulele?

But let us share with you how we decided to break free from these annual struggles. For the past two years, we've stopped giving gifts to our clients. Now, before you assume we've cut our budget, let us assure you that we still allocate funds for gifts. The difference is that instead of spending that money on useless trinkets, we now invest it in good deeds. And we proudly share this decision with our partners during the holiday season.

One day, we realized that corporate gifts are useless for anyone. They often end up tucked away in desk drawers, forgotten until the next year when they are replaced with yet another meaningless present. People only give and receive these gifts because it's expected in corporate culture, just to check a box.

So we decided to be honest. Instead of spending our budget on corporate gifts that no one really needs, we decided to give them to those who are truly in need — people without homes. Each corporate souvenir became a warm cup of tea, a cozy blanket, or a safe room for the night. As a symbol of gratitude, we sent our clients a checkmark, representing our support and appreciation from Arriba! and the Depaul Homeless Charity.

Doing good is a process that can easily inspire us, especially in the midst of the challenging year of 2020. The pandemic and the subsequent lockdown had a profound impact on all of us. We experienced the hardships of self-isolation firsthand. No amount of Zoom meetings or messaging apps could replace the joy of in-person gatherings with our loved ones and friends. The online world couldn't provide the genuine human warmth that we all crave and need.

It was during this time that we truly realized how fortunate we are to have people in our lives who bring us that warmth. Unfortunately, there are those who don't have such connections. Every New Year, they face loneliness and isolation. And with the strict quarantine measures in place, they have been cut off from any form of external interaction. This is particularly true for lonely elderly individuals who yearn for companionship.

So, we felt a strong urge to make their holiday season a little brighter and cozier. That's why, in collaboration with the Social Service Assistance Foundation, we decided to gift them with snug blankets and comfortable slippers to keep them warm during the chilly winter evenings. But we didn't stop there. Each member of our Arriba! team took the time to write heartfelt, handwritten letters. These personal messages carried a warmth and sincerity that no social media post or email could ever convey. We wanted the elderly individuals to know that they are not alone.

Now, you might be wondering, does this mean that we care more about strangers than our own clients? Absolutely not. Each and every person we interact with has their own unique story, and we hold their presence in high regard. That's why we took the time to write letters to our clients as well, expressing our gratitude for being with us during this extraordinary year. We also thanked them for not receiving our gifts for two years in a row but for being a part of something more meaningful. They created a small miracle for those who truly need it.

Look, we genuinely believe that anyone can make a positive impact. Sometimes, all it takes is to replace materialistic items with a heartfelt story. So, why not give it a try? After all, it's often said that giving gifts is even more rewarding than receiving them.