When Abt was founded 83 years ago, Jewel and David Abt believed that whatever a person does for a living, they can use it as a vehicle to do good and make people’s lives better—even if it was through something as potentially mundane as selling a refrigerator. That philosophy forms the basis of our motto “The answer is ‘Yes’ to any reasonable request,” and helped us grow to the store we are. Fittingly, that growth has put us in a better position to help those who haven’t been as fortunate.
Our friends at Cal’s Angels— a local foundation dedicated to funding research for pediatric cancers and granting wishes of kids who battle cancer—came to us recently with a request from a young boy named Chase. Chase is a cancer survivor who battled an extremely rare form of cancer when he was just a few years old. He is one of four children, and when given the chance to have a wish granted, he wanted a way to share it with his siblings. His mother summed up Chase’s feelings: “the heart of Chase in these days is feeling his “otherness”, so we talked with him and hatched a plan to let him, the frequent receiver, the all too often powerless one, become the strong giver as he presented gifts to all of his siblings. He was thrilled to be in charge.” (Click the link to read her blog Chase Away Cancer, which chronicles the family’s experiences)
So, we rolled out the red carpet for Chase and his family, and let him be an honorary employee for the day. After lunch and a behind-the-scenes tour of the store, the kids donned their new Abt employee uniforms and spent some time observing our security department, hanging out in our computer and car audio departments, and playing with all kinds of fun stuff in the atrium. At the end of the evening (after a mini shopping spree at the Candy Store) Chase was able to gift his siblings new iPads—and hopefully a day they’ll always remember.
Click here to learn more about Cal’s Angels and how you can help.
Click here to read more about Chase’s visit to Abt at his mother’s blog, Chase Away Cancer.
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