In late September and early October, the MITER Foundation, the charitable arm of MITER Brands, a leading manufacturer of windows and patio doors, held its annual two-part golf outing.
The two events, held in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and Prescott, Arizona, respectively, raised a record $4 million for charities such as Children’s Flight of Hope.
MITER Brands, through its MI and Milgard brands, is one of the largest manufacturers of precision-built, energy-efficient windows and doors for new construction and replacement.
The 25th annual golf outing kicked off on Tuesday, Sept. 26, at the Hershey Lodge, where the MITER Foundation hosted a dinner and charitable auction with MITER Brands’ suppliers. The evening featured speeches from a few of the MITER Foundation’s beneficiaries, including Pat Nelli, President and CEO of Children’s Flight of Hope, a North Carolina-based nonprofit that coordinates free flights for children who require specialized medical care.
“I am blown away by this event,” Nelli stated. “Thank you for inviting Children’s Flight of Hope to be part of your philanthropic community… I can’t think of a greater purpose than taking care of our children.”
“People want to be associated with a company that gives back,” In a video clip shown during the event, MITER Brands founder Pete DeSoto said. “It’s important to our team members, it’s important to our customers, and it’s important to our suppliers.”
MITER Brands team members returned to the Hershey Lodge on Wednesday, Sept. 27, after a day on the course with its suppliers, for another dinner and auction, this time with customers. On Thursday, the group went golfing at the Hershey Country Club. The MITER Foundation hosted nearly 500 guests in Hershey between the two contingents.
“Our golf outings are the largest fundraisers for the MITER Foundation,” MITER Foundation Executive Chair Anthony Kassab stated. “But it isn’t just about how much we raise. It’s also about the correlation between the funds raised and the support we provide various people and organizations who are in need.”
The West Coast portion of the golf outing, now in its third year, was held in Prescott, Arizona, on October 2-3. The dinner and auction were held at the Sam Hill Warehouse, where approximately 160 guests – the majority of whom were customers or suppliers – heard from MITER Foundation recipients. One of the speakers was Debbie Stantus, Director of the Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation.
“I’ve had the honor of working with the MITER team for the duration of our partnership the past five years,” said Stantus. “It is about much more than just your generous support. The MITER team has volunteered countless hours over the past five years.”
