Nothing says “happy holidays” like charity team building!
As summer winds down, the holiday spirit revs up from Halloween through New Years. And thanks to COVID, the freedom to celebrate is something we no longer take for granted.
Recipes for disaster
Already our moods are swinging into high gear in time for all of the holiday revelries—anticipating the parties, presents, and people we hold most dear. But few of us welcome the reality check about how dangerous this celebratory season can be:
- Halloween parties, drunk drivers, and costumed kids skittering through busy neighborhoods may result in an estimated 396 fatalities this year, according to autoinsurance.org.
- Re: Thanksgiving, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that, “An average of 1,700 cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving Day each year, more than three times the average number of cooking fires on any other day of the year.”
- And in December, St. Nick’s precarious trip down the chimney; unattended candles, space heaters, and flammable decorations result in thousands of injuries and deaths each year.
- Plus, there’s the stress of holiday shopping or not having the money to shop at all. The result: a steep spike in domestic violence each year.
The common denominator in all of these holiday-related calamities is kids!
Whether it’s a house fire, auto crash, or domestic crisis, the hardest thing for First Responders to face is the frightened faces of injured and traumatized children.
Charity team building to the rescue
Fortunately, First Responders all over the country are able to help these children heal, thanks to Magnovo’s Rescue Buddies Program.
Rescue Buddies are lovingly assembled stuffed animals created during one of our most popular workshops. These bears, birds, mooses, and porpoises have one purpose: to help mend the hearts of brokenhearted children.
Workshop participants divide into teams and “compete” to assemble the most adorable toys as quickly as possible and then pass a carefully regulated safety inspection. The assembly process itself is therapeutic for each team member because they fill every toy with love, kindness, and best wishes.
EMS personnel, firefighters, and police officers soak up all of these glad tidings as well. They keep a stash of Rescue Buddies in their vehicles, ready for distribution during the next emergency. Hundreds of First Responders across the country say nothing is more rewarding than giving a child a Rescue Buddy to hug as their world spins out of control.
Charity team building can heal
Pandemic panic, social isolation, inflation—the times we’re living in are taking a toll on all of us. These charity workshops can heal the weary hearts of team members, First Responders, and children. They bring us closer physically and emotionally, and provide the opportunity to make a difference in our own lives and those of our neighbors.
And at a time when air hugs are often the safest point of contact, these stuffed animals bridge that gap as well. So says www.goodtimes.sc: “As ‘transitional objects,’ plush pets give children an oh-so-important layer of security and comfort when they are away from their adult caregivers. Young ones are able to adapt to serious developmental challenges, experiment with their autonomy and independence, and handle unfamiliar environments. Children come to rely and depend on their stuffies—to the point where their entire sense of safety and security is imbued in their favorite bear or doll. Their stuffed friends become way more than just toys.”
Way more than just toys, indeed! Charity team building workshops like Rescue Buddies are about morale boosting, emotional healing, team bonding, corporate social responsibility, and community goodwill!