Robert Craig, vice president of operations for A+ Storage in Nashville, Tenn., was one of four recipients of the Inside Self-Storage 2009 Humanitarian Service Award, which recognizes self-storage companies and professionals who support charitable causes. A $2,000 grant was given to the nonprofit organizations, projects, events or programs endorsed by the winners.
In June 2008, Craig and the team at A+ began working with the Greater Nashville Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a non-profit organization that funds research and development for the cure of breast cancer. The company not only stored items for the city’s 2008 Race for the Cure, it provided t-shirt packaging for more than 10,000 race packets.
With a team of 40-plus volunteers who invested more than 1,000 man hours, A+ Storage was also able to provide a secure, air-conditioned facility to host packet fulfillment.
“I chose to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure of Greater Nashville because 75 percent of every dollar raised in the region stays here and is granted to other non-profits that are on the front lines battling breast cancer,” Craig says. “The grants fund non-profit organizations that are working tirelessly with low-income and non-insured individuals, educating men and women on the value of early detection and awareness.”
This past April, A+ Storage took on a bigger role in the second annual event. The company’s Clarksville, Tenn., facility, one of 10 in the state, helped stage the race, which attracted more than 750 participants and raised $73,000, according to Craig.
“The Susan G. Komen team has been a pleasure to work with. They are totally committed to working toward their goals and of the ongoing collaboration to address breast health,” Craig says. “They were certainly thrilled to learn about the $2,000 check awarded through the generosity of Inside Self-Storage.”
Despite the economic downturn, Craig believes there are many charitable people willing to step up and support worthy causes. “There is the concurrent responsibility of those who continue to prosper and give back to the communities that have been so instrumental in helping us achieve the success and growth we have achieved,” he says. “Much of the benefit that accrues to our facilities is the intangible goodwill that no marketing budget is able to buy.”
About the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation
When Susan Komen lost her life to breast cancer in 1982, her sister, Nancy Brinker, vowed to do everything in her power to put a stop to the disease. She established the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation, now the world’s largest grassroots organization of breast-cancer survivors and activists. To date, the group has raised more than $1.2 billion in funds for research, patient care and public awareness. For information on how you or your company can donate or volunteer, visit www.komen.org.
