OKLAHOMA CITY -- To celebrate its 45th anniversary, Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores Inc. has given all 370 of its corporate employees $450 dollars to "pay forward" in the Greater Oklahoma City area to any nonprofit organization of their choice. The donations for the "Making a Difference from the Heart" initiative will total $165,000.
Flanked by family members and special guests, Tom Love, founder and CEO of Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores, and his daughter, Jenny Love Meyer, recently announced the program.
"In this challenging economy, [image-nocss] it is more important than ever to show support for charitable organizations that help so many in our community," said Love. "Love's has contributed a consistent portion of our net profit to these organizations for many years in recognition of our corporate responsibility to continually invest in our community to help others and make it better. We are fortunate to be in a financial position to continue these contributions."
Love Meyer added, "We thought a great deal about how to appropriately mark our company's 45th anniversary. It didn't take us long to decide it was indeed best in today's economic climate to invest in the community that is our home. We have tremendous employees who have contributed to our success over the past 45 years, and we wanted to express our appreciation by offering them an opportunity to help others in our community who are experiencing great need these days."
Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett joined the Love family at the company's corporate offices in north Oklahoma City. He said, "As a result of the current economic downturn, many charities in our community are facing declining donations while demand for their services increases by the day. I can assure you that Love's 'Making a Difference from the Heart' program will have a direct, positive impact on the ability of local non-profit organizations to serve our community. It will make a difference--a big one. This is a terrific announcement today from an Oklahoma City company that embodies to the fullest what it truly means to be an outstanding corporate citizen. The community is very appreciative."
Speaking on behalf of the Greater Oklahoma City nonprofit community, Debby Hampton, president and CEO of the Oklahoma Center for Non-Profits, said the initiative is an "incredible gesture of support for the community at a very crucial time. This is a brilliant idea and I commend the Love family and its employees for putting the community interest above all else. You can be assured this tremendous initiative will certainly make a difference in the lives of many people who depend on the outstanding and compassionate services provided by non-profits across this community. The non-profit community is deeply grateful to Love's and its employees. A simple heartfelt thank you seems so inadequate, but thanks very much."
Founded in 1964 by Tom Love, Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores is headquartered in Oklahoma City, and operates more than 200 locations in more than 30 states.
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