Because they just won’t brag on themselves, it’s become a bit of a Christmas tradition around here for the Construction Citizen team to take the time to brag on the good works of industry groups during the Holiday Season. From toy drives to boosting local food banks and making sure kids have a brighter holiday in a variety of ways, the big hearts of many in the industry are on full display right now.
There would be no way include all the activities happening in Texas, but to get a list going I asked the folks at the Associated Builders and Contractors of Texas what their chapters are doing around our great state
In Dallas/Fort Worth, TEXO held their annual Holiday & Awards Gala including a Toys for Tots drive, collecting about 250 toys. TEXO raised more than $16,000 in donations at their tailgate for hurricane relief efforts and collected roughly 1,200 cans of food at the November Young Constructor’s Council meeting
TEXO members also increased their Children’s Health donations 21 percent to more than $70,000 during their KIDstruction Week in North Texas.
In Central Texas, the ABC chapter collected toys and canned goods at its Holiday Party on December 6. They dropped off more than 200 toys and many pounds of canned goods to the Travis County Sheriff’s Office Brown Santa Program.
That program works with the community centers throughout Travis County, providing each participating child with at least two new wrapped toys, a puzzle, one book and a stuffed animal. A family game is included in each family box along with a holiday meal including a turkey and all the trimmings. "ABC Central Texas members were generous with their donations this year and were happy to be a part of such a great Christmas giving program," the group said.
Down on the Gulf Coast, the ABC Greater Houston Young Professionals Committee participated in CYCLE – Houston’s 2017 Bike Build community service project.
CYCLE Houston aims to improve literacy in Houston schools by encouraging kids to reach their educational goals, giving them the chance to earn a new bicycle.
“72 percent of Texas students in 4th grade have a below-proficient reading level, and CYCLE encourages children to be active physically and mentally, empowering them to improve their literacy and possibly break the cycle of poverty,” according to CYCLE Houston. The Young Professionals Committee and helped raise nearly $6,000 and built 500 bikes for CYCLE in about 90 minutes.
Just as we noted last year, this is by no means an exhaustive list of all the charitable work that construction companies and associations around Texas are doing. This is simply an informal poll of ABC chapters. If your company or group is participating in charitable activities this Christmas – or you know of something going on like this that you think our readers should know about – feel free to share in the comments section below.
The Construction Citizen team hopes you all had a wonderful Christmas and we wish you a Happy New Year!
