Sheetz Family Christmas began in 1992 when employees of the convenience store chain in Blair County, Pa., raised money to help underprivileged families during the holidays. The For the Kidz golf outing raises money for [image-nocss] Sheetz employees to use to buy clothing, toys and other presents for kids at Christmastime. Sheetz employees all over the six-state operating area will host holiday parties for local kids in December.
"We are so grateful for 10 years of support for this event. It has grown into the most incredible fundraiser we do here at Sheetz," said Louie Sheetz, executive vice president of marketing for the Altoona, Pa.-based chain. "Every year, we are able to help more children than the last. We now have more than 11,000 dedicated, hard working employees. When we team them up with the kindness of our vendors, and the generosity of our communities and friends, we are able to continue this unique tradition."
Additional celebrity athletes joining the cause this year included former MLB stars Dave Giusti, Rick Reuschel, Jim Rooker, Kent Tekulve, former NFL stars Mel Blount, Andre Collins, L.C. Greenwood, Jack Ham, Al Jenkins, Leroy Kelly, John Riggins and Mike Wagner. ESPN SportsCenter anchor John Anderson also participated in the event.
Last year, the Sheetz Family Charities program raised more than $350,000 and helped more than 4,000 deserving children in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. To date, Sheetz employees have raised more than $5 million for Sheetz Family Charities and helped more than 43,000 children.
In 2005 Sheetz Family Charities formed a new partnership with another charitable organization, the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Sheetz Family Charities has donated $310,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, making Sheetz the largest single contributor to the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Pennsylvania. To date, the money has been used to grant more than 60 wishes for seriously ill children and their families to visit Walt Disney World.
With more than $3.9 billion in revenue for 2007, family-owned and operated Sheetz operates more than 340 convenience locations.Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.