The staff at PAR is known for its generosity, volunteerism, and love of animals. These three traits tied together March 23 at Bark in the Park, an annual fundraiser for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay held in downtown Tampa.
The event featured a variety of animal-themed events, games, and vendors and culminated in a Walk for the Animals along Tampa’s picturesque River Walk. The PAR team, known as the PARty Animals, was this year’s second-highest fundraising pack. Several pack members brought family and fur-friends in support of the event, and one pack member even adopted a new member of the family!
Overall, nearly 100 teams and more than 450 participants helped the Humane Society exceed its Bark in the Park goal by raising nearly $150,000. Those funds will be used to house, heal, and help rehome thousands of local animals.
One of PAR’s core tenets is to give back to the community, and our employees frequently donate their time and resources to help local organizations like the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. Learn more.
PAR has a long and proud tradition of giving back to the communities we serve through donations of time and financial support. This is something we do not only during the holiday season, but all year long.
Here’s a look back at some of the events and organizations our company and employees supported in 2018.
January: Announced the recipient of our fourth annual Pay-it-Forward campaign, where select Customers choose an organization to receive a $5,000 donation. The charity selected by our Customers was Prevent Child Abuse America.
February: PAR employees participated in the annual Cup of Compassion breakfast, a fund-raising event that benefits the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay.
March: PAR employees volunteered for Camp Circle of Love, a no-cost annual weekend retreat for children in Hillsborough county ages 6 to 18 years who have experienced the death of a loved one.
For the 7th year in a row, the PAR team was named Top Dog at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay’s annual Bark in the Park fundraising event.
April: PAR staff participated in and donated to fundraising walks supporting Southeastern Guide Dogs and Autism Speaks. In addition, several PAR employees spent their lunch hour volunteering at Trinity Café, a restaurant in Tampa that serves free hot lunches to those in need.
June: PAR employees and their families took to the lanes to raise money and awareness for the American Heart Association during our annual Bowling for Hearts event.
August: Another group of PAR employees volunteered to serve lunch at Trinity Café, providing over 200 free hot lunches to those in need.
September: PAR’s annual United Way Week took place and for the 21st consecutive year, 100% of PAR staff contributed. Employees raised over $93,000 to benefit United Way Suncoast and their partner agencies. With PAR’s matching contribution, a total of just under $140,000 will help make a difference in the lives of so many.
October: A group of PAR staffers attended Tuxes & Tails, the premier annual fundraiser for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. Other employees participated in United Way Suncoast’s Day of Caring by volunteering to clean and organize warehouse space for Metropolitan Ministries, an agency that cares for the homeless and those at risk.
November: PAR had employees take part in two different fundraising events: the Walk to End Alzheimer’s and the to Stop Soldier Suicide Veteran’s Day 5K. Also, PAR staff met with students from the Hillsborough County PACE Center for Girls to announce winners of PAR’s annual Holiday Card Contest, in which an original design drawn by one of the girls is used on PAR’s annual holiday cards.
December: PAR held its annual Angel Trees event. Trees are placed in our lobby and we coordinate with local charities to decorate the trees with ornaments listing gifts for local children in need. PAR staff members then choose ornaments and donate gifts to the children. This year we worked with the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, Redland’s Christian Migrant Association, and Heart Gallery of Tampa to provide help to nearly 150 children.
Each year, PAR employees take part in a week-long United Way fundraising campaign. For more than 20 years, 100% of PAR staff members have contributed during our annual drive. This year was no different! We exceeded our fundraising goal, resulting in more than $93,000 in employee contributions to help United Way Suncoast and their partner agencies! With PAR’s matching contribution, we are proud to say United Way will receive just under $140,000 that will help make a difference in the lives of so many people in the Tampa Bay area.
Learn more about how you can help United Way in your community!
Here are a few photos of our week!
Kick-off breakfast: We split into teams to represent four Tampa Bay teams: the Buccaneers, the Rowdies, the Rays, and the Lightning! Some local mascots joined the fun!
Teams faced off in a seriously competitive Pictionary contest!
A company-wide scavenger taught us a lot about our coworkers and United Way Suncoast as we ran from place to place to find clues.
For more information about PAR's involvement in the community, please visit Community PARtners.