Tag: volunteer

EMJ sponsors Make-a-Wish child’s trip of a lifetime


This spring, EMJ’s Dallas office was honored to help grant the wish of seven-year-old Daisy Perez, a Dallas resident, through Make-a-Wish.

Employees divided into teams and competed to raise funds. The two-month competition was led by team captains Ray Catlin, Executive Vice President, Ben Milner, Senior Vice President of Preconstruction, and Kevin Gass, Vice President of Construction.

“Team Ben” got a head-start by hosting a building-wide bake sale in the office lobby. Members of the team made various baked goods and raised nearly $800 by the end of the work day.

“Team Kevin” hosted a breakfast taco sale with tacos donated by Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, which raised nearly $400. Meanwhile, members of each team reached out to clients, partners and colleagues to see if they would donate to help grant Daisy’s wish.

A few weeks later, members of the office were invited to participate in Good Morning Texas to surprise Anthony, another local child, with his wish.

“Seeing a child’s wish granted really brought our fundraising efforts to life,” said Madison Latimer, Operations Accountant, who attended the televised event. “We saw how much joy it would bring to a child who has gone through so much.”

 

By the April 1 deadline, EMJ had far exceeded its $10,000 goal, reaching nearly $17,000 in donations.

On April 14, Daisy and her family flew to Orlando for a fun-filled week during which she visited Disney World, Universal Studios and Legoland— and of course, fulfilled her dream of meeting Belle from Beauty & the Beast.

“@EMJCorp This once-in-a-lifetime trip would not have been possible without you,” tweeted Daisy’s aunt, Patricia. “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!”

 

Daisy was featured on several outlets including E! News, Huffington Post and Good Housekeeping with photos from her emotional trip.

She was also interviewed on Fox 4 News about her overnight fame.

“My favorite part of going to Disney was getting to meet Belle,” Daisy said. “I also got to have ice cream for breakfast and eat lunch with all of my favorite characters!”

Finally, last Friday, Daisy and her family visited the Dallas office to share stories and pictures from their trip and show their gratitude. Daisy was greeted with signs, balloons and even a princess-themed photo booth.

Daisy and EVP Ray Catlin smile for the photo booth in EMJ’s Dallas office.


“It was so rewarding to have Daisy and her family in our office,” said Ray Catlin. “Working together for this cause has been a great experience for the team, and I believe EMJ’s partnership with Make-a-Wish is just beginning.”

It has evidently been a whirlwind two months for Daisy, and EMJ is appreciative to have been a part of it. A sincere thanks to our partners, colleagues and friends who donated to this worthy cause—we could not have done it without you.

To see more pictures from Daisy’s visit, visit our Flickr page, and to get your company involved with Make-a-Wish, visit wish.org.

EMJ supports Make-a-Wish on WFAA’s “Good Morning Texas”

 

EMJ has partnered with Make-a-Wish to grant the wish of a local child, and on Wednesday, the team was invited to attend WFAA’s “Good Morning Texas” with other local participating companies.

Since 1982, Make-a-Wish has granted wishes of more than 270,000 children with life-threatening illnesses in the United States, providing hope, strength and joy to them and their families.

 

The feature primarily promoted the North Texas Walk for Wishes, a multi-city 5k fundraiser on Saturday, April 1st. But there was more than the walk to celebrate.

EMJers set up at American Airlines Plaza in grass skirts and leis to surprise 11-year-old Anthony, a local Make-a-Wish sponsor child, with his wish: a trip to Hawaii to learn how to surf. Anthony has a cardiac condition, and two Dallas residents, Dennis Baird and Conner Samuels, made his trip a reality.

“As a parent, when your child goes through something traumatic, you never know the outcome,” said Rebecca, Anthony’s mother. “It’s a great thing to see how far he’s come.”

Next month, EMJ will present its sponsor child, Daisy, with her wish, a trip to Walt Disney World to meet Belle— a direct result of their fundraising efforts.

To donate to EMJ’s team and help fulfill more wishes, visit our fundraising page, and see more photos from the event here.

 

 

Junior Achievement honors EMJ for 27 years of service

Two of EMJ’s projects, Palm Beach Outlets, West Palm Beach, FL and Fountains of Farah, El Paso, TX are finalists for ICSC’s U.S. Design and Development Awards.

Brian Jordan and Doug Martin
Brian Jordan and Doug Martin

 

Junior Achievement of Chattanooga presented EMJ Construction with the 2016 Spirit of Achievement Award on March 15, 2016. The ceremony was held at the Chattanooga Convention Center featuring keynote speaker Brian Jordan, former Atlanta Brave and Atlanta Falcon.

The Spirit of Achievement Award recognizes and honors organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the business, social and cultural assets of the Chattanooga area. Each honoree has exhibited strong leadership, an entrepreneurial spirit and adheres to a high level of ethical principles. EMJ is being honored for its nearly 27 years of service to Junior Achievement. Members of EMJ’s Chattanooga office visited classrooms at eight local schools in 2015, educating students about entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy through the Junior Achievement curriculum.

Doug Martin, EMJ’s Chief Operating Officer, accepted the award on behalf of the company.

“We truly enjoy working with the Junior Achievement program. Our children are responsible for the future, and our team enjoys interacting with the future of our business and our city firsthand when we visit these schools,” said Martin.