2017 Giving highlights: disaster relief, United Way and more

It’s been a banner year for charitable giving at Schneider. Records were broken and processes were improved, but most important, people were helped in significant ways. Here’s a look at how our charitable giving culture made an impact in 2017

Disaster relief - rapid hurricane response

This year’s storms have been brutal — from hurricanes to floods to wildfires — and the sheer expanse of destruction, especially along our coastal states, has been difficult to fathom. Overall, more than 60 Schneider associates in Houston and 20 associates in Florida were impacted by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma, respectively.

Thanks in part to our 50-plus-member Crisis Response Team, all associates were kept safe and equipment damage was kept to a minimum (less than a third of the cost of the 2016 Louisiana flooding impact). Our operations were back online within just a few days and relief efforts were expedited:

• Giving Orange Campaign - We launched a special campaign throughout the company, and in just two weeks, generous associates donated about $35,000. Coupled with a match and more from the Schneider Foundation, all impacted associates received $1,000.

• In-kind transportation donations - In addition to funds donated directly to associates, Schneider also donated in-kind transportation to get supplies to the affected areas. This includes Schneider driver participating in the nationally recognized relief efforts coordinated by the J.J. Watt Foundation. When Elliott arrived with a relay load of water and sports drinks, J.J. was on site.

Ride of Pride drivers David Price and Jon Ritscher collaborated to get a load safely to Houston, and many other customers and partners came together to deliver relief loads. Altogether, hurricane disaster relief in-kind donations were valued at about $20,000 and all in-kind donations made in 2017 are valued at approximately $50,000.

It’s important to Schneider that any disaster relief efforts are coordinated through reputable charitable organizations working locally in affected areas and that transportation requests come from existing customers (or an organization with ample evidence they have the ability to properly load, the manpower to unload, a secure location to store goods and the means to distribute them).

United Way – another record-breaking year

This year’s United Way campaign, “Highway to Help,” raised $233,870 in just two weeks — a 1.4 percent increase over last year’s record-breaking campaign. The Schneider Foundation made a separate donation of $110,000 to the campaign, and when combined with the $3,316 raised from special events (e.g. Dilly Bar, coffee, caramel apple and chili sales) and a few donations made later, our grand total soared to $348,401.

Money raised stays in the communities in which it’s given, bringing help to our immediate neighbors, friends and co-workers who may be in need. Schneider has been a longtime supporter of the United Way.

Holiday giving and more

Every year, countless Schneider associates give back to their communities and those in need, both during the holidays and throughout the year. Here are a few more highlights of ways Schneider associates get involved:

• Salvation Army and Rawhide Boys Ranch – this year Freedom House was also involved, and the gifts filled a truck, two vans and a car.
• Schneider Transportation Management donation to Children’s Hospital
• 7 categories of charitable giving at Schneider