Going Beyond Business Objectives to Make a Difference
Two of the things that make being a part of the PaperWise family such a wonderful experience, is this team’s desire to encourage one another and make a difference in their community. It brings pride to the company when we can look around and see the drive and determination of our colleagues. This is exactly what recently happened at PaperWise. What follows is that story…
Springfield, Missouri, November 17, 2010 – In an effort to encourage an associate for a 100-mile trail race, the employees of software and technology provider PaperWise, Inc. worked together to raise $2,085 for a local food bank and charity organization, Ozarks Food Harvest (OFH).
PaperWise, Inc. presented a check to Ozarks Food Harvest on Tuesday, November 16, 2010, after raising the money to support Business Analyst Larry Vernon in a remarkable goal. An avid runner, Vernon had been training for the Ozark Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run for several months.
“I was mulling over ideas of a good goal that would surpass anything I’d ever accomplished, and as I began to seriously consider the 100-mile run, the owner of PaperWise Dan Langhofer challenged me to do it,” said Vernon. “Since I felt it was beyond what I was capable of doing, it seemed worthy of trying to do.”
As word spread throughout PaperWise of Vernon’s goal to run 100 miles, colleagues began to contemplate how they might help push Vernon to cross the finish line on race day.
“Larry and I discussed ways of making the race bigger than a 100-mile feat,” explained PaperWise Product Manager Dr. Chris Taylor. “I suggested collecting pledges for each mile completed that would be donated to a food bank local to Springfield – Ozarks Food Harvest. He liked the idea so I ran with it, starting with a dollar per mile pledge from myself. An email went out to the team to see if anyone else was interested in making a contribution. The response was overwhelming; within 15 minutes I had received two more dollar pledges. The rest is PaperWise history.”
The Ozark Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run was a point-to-point 100-mile ultramarathon on the Ozark Trail through the Mark Twain National Forest in south central Missouri. By the day of the race, Saturday, November 6, 2010, PaperWise had raised over $1300. With great effort and careful footwork through the cold and, at times, dark forest of Missouri, Vernon completed all 100 miles, finishing in 27:04:04 hours. Amongst nearly 80 participants, he placed 9th of the 37 that actually finished.
When Vernon returned to the office, donations continued to roll in. In total the company raised over $2,000 for OFH. The OFH Food Bank is the only one of its kind in southwest Missouri, serving more than 300 nonprofit hunger relief organizations across 28 Ozarks counties. With every dollar donation to The Food Bank, OFH is able to provide 7 meals to those who need it most.
“I feel that God has given all of us gifts, and as a Christian, exercising those gifts and serving others is really what life is about,” shared Vernon. “The fact that other people can benefit from my gift and love of running makes the whole experience even more meaningful.”
We are so proud of Larry for completing a challenge that few would dare even attempt and the team here at PaperWise for helping make a difference!
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