ASI Thanks Employees for Generous 2016 Charitable Initiatives

Employees helped raise nearly $2 million in cash and goods for worthy causes since 2003

TREVOSE, PA – December 22, 2016 –The Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) today thanked its employees for generous donations of time, goods and over $30,000 in cash contributed throughout 2016 to nearly a dozen community nonprofit organizations.

ASI encourages all employees to take every opportunity to lend a helping hand. Over the years, the company has helped to raise nearly $2 million in cash and goods for worthy causes, including aid to victims of natural disasters. In addition, Timothy M. Andrews, ASI’s president and chief executive officer, founded and provided funding for a food bank in his native state of Indiana and provided major seed funding to the Hawcreek/Flat Rock Endowment Fund, also in his hometown.

“The amount of money, time and resources ASI employees devote each year to help those who are less fortunate is truly heartwarming and I couldn’t be more proud of our company,” said Andrews.  

Below are the chief organizations ASI, its employees and the Norman Cohn family contributed to in 2016 in an effort to promote the idea of “goodwill toward men” (and women) throughout the year:

• Annual Holiday Gift Drive. Hundreds of ASI employees donated to buy over $6,000 worth of gifts for families living in homeless shelters or receiving services through the Family Service Association of Bucks County, PA.
• American Red Cross. ASI’s administrative staff hosted a silent auction to raise money – a record-breaking $6,000 – for the local Red Cross chapter through the sale of sample promotional products sent by suppliers and featured in ASI magazines. In addition, employees donated a total of 58 pints of blood.
• United Way. ASI donated $18,500 to the United Way of Bucks County, PA, which helps advance the greater good by focusing on three key issues: access to a quality education, a stable income and good health. The donation includes matching funds contributed by the Cohn family.
• The Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House. Through donations for a photo with Santa, ASI raised $1,500 for the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House, which provides a home away from home for families of critically ill children receiving treatment at local hospitals.
• Dress for Success and MenzFit. Employees donated 126 items of interview-appropriate clothing to organizations helping low-income Philadelphia-area men and women entering or reentering the job market.
• Family Service Association. ASI’s administrative assistant staff organized a coat sale that raised $1,050 for the nonprofit in Bucks County, PA, that runs a homeless shelter for those who have lost safe and stable housing.
• Helping Cure Diabetes. In the past 10 years, the daughters of ASI Vice-Chairman Matthew Cohn, Sydney and Mackenzie, have raised nearly $3 million to help fund research for Type 1, or juvenile, diabetes, a disease that affects millions of people, including a large and growing percentage of children like them (www.cohnsisters.com). In the last year, the girls raised nearly $300,000 through fundraisers like an annual JDRF walk for the cure in Philadelphia. JDRF is the world’s largest charitable funder of diabetes research. Matthew Cohn also serves on the JDRF International Board of Directors, and out of over 50,000 teams around the world, the Cohn family has raised the most for JDRF in four of the last five years.
• Employee Turkey and Pie Giveaway. Each November, the Cohn family thanks ASI employees by giving them a choice of a free Thanksgiving turkey or pie. This year, the family continued the 33-year tradition by distributing 260 turkeys and 200 pies. The pies specifically benefited the Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA) Pie in the Sky charity of Philadelphia as every pie ASI bought provided a fresh, hot, homemade Thanksgiving dinner that served four, delivered to a MANNA client coping with a life-threatening illness and at acute nutritional risk as a result.

About ASI
The Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI®) serves a network of 23,500 suppliers, distributors and decorators in the $22 billion promotional products industry. ASI’s flagship product, the technology platform ESP®, manages the industry’s entire supply and marketing chain. ASI also produces award-winning digital and print content, live events and educational programs that enable companies in 61 countries to be more efficient, productive and profitable. ASI’s Counselor® magazine provides the most authoritative business content in the industry, and the ASI Certification Program features 500+ live and online education courses for over 40,000 professionals. The company, family owned and operated since 1962, is proud to have been consistently ranked among the “Best Places to Work” in Philadelphia and Bucks County, PA. For more info: www.uat-asicentral.com.