Last week, Simmons Hanly Conroy donated more than $7,000 in gift cards to the children of union steelworker families who were laid off this holiday season.
Firm Attorneys Rob Woodward and John Richardson worked with the local unions to organize the event, they called “Gift Cards for Kids.” More than 100 families attended the event on Dec. 15 at the United Steelworkers Local 1899 in Granite City, Ill. There, Rob and John handed out multiple gift cards to children from Locals 1899, 50 and 68 whose parents were laid off.
The idea for the event came from Rob who wanted to do something to make the holidays a little brighter for the workers’ children.
“As with many of the attorneys at the firm, I grew up in a union family. My father was a union member. We represent union families locally and nationwide.” Rob said. “Knowing of the layoffs and with the holidays coming up, we wanted to do something to help out. Everyone deserves a happy holiday.”
To participate in the event, union workers called ahead to Local 1899 and informed them of the number of children they had and their ages.
Nearly 160 children received gift cards at the event. Simmons Hanly Conroy gifted each child $50 in Target gift cards. The families also received gift cards from their own locals. These gift cards were purchased with donations from their fellow co-workers.
“Rob called me up and asked if we would be interested in doing a ‘Gift Cards for Kids’ event,” said Dan Simmons, Local 1899 President. “We usually do a toy drive and donate to others in the area, but this year, it was important that we give back to our own guys who are having a rough time.”
After receiving the gift cards, the union workers could go down the street to United Way to receive food donations.
“The members and officers were really grateful,” John said. “More than a few of the guys were wiping away tears, and one told us this restored his faith in humanity.”
This is just one of the many ways Simmons Hanly Conroy strives for positive change in people’s lives. Learn more about our priority to give back to the people and communities we serve today.
