Mike Wolanin | The Republic Volunteers from Toyota Material Handling tour The Crump Theatre before helping clean the theater during the third annual Lift the Community Day in Columbus on July 6.
Columbus-based Toyota Material Handling encourages its workforce to volunteer. So when the company organized what it said would be its largest-ever single-day volunteer effort, that meant lending lots of hands to good causes.
In fact, as The Republic’s Mark Webber wrote, 309 volunteers in southern Indiana and East Chicago pitched in to help with 29 projects that assisted nonprofits and the disadvantaged, breaking the previous record of 24 projects set in 2022 for Toyota’s Lift The Community Day.
“I’m proud to see so many of our associates embracing the opportunity to give back to some many wonderful organizations,” Bill Finerty, president and CEO of Toyota Material Handling said. “We have a responsibility to contribute to society in meaningful ways. To help people carry the load. And we take that responsibility seriously.”
We salute Toyota Material Handling for making volunteerism part of its company culture. Doing so sets an exemplary standard of community-mindedness for local employers and organizations, all of which in turn just makes good business sense.
Helping to fight childhood cancers
The Republic’s Brian Blair reported a poignant story recently about the legacy of Columbus native Justin Spoon, who died earlier this year at age 24, losing a fight against rhabdomyosarcoma, also known as RMS, a cancer predominantly diagnosed in children.
Spoon’s mother Robyn said that before her son died he was most concerned about the lack of treatments for children younger than him. Robyn said her son told her, “the fact that we have not done better (for them) is egregious.”
We agree. And that’s why we applaud Connie Radovanovic of Columbus, who recently donated $15,000 to honor Spoon through the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research at the Indiana University School of Medicine. The money came from the proceeds of her 2022 book, “Innocence and Wisdom of My Little Seeds,” along with a donation from Radovanovic and her husband, Rod.
It’s also in keeping with Justin’s fighting spirit that his tumors were cultivated to further research toward a cure. They are among the such only such cell lines in the world, Blair reported.
Meantime, Robyn said she and her husband, Joel, have found “moments of sacredness” amid the pain of losing their son.
“Curing this kind of cancer is going to require a massive community,” Robyn said. “And Connie’s generosity, benevolence and love for children and for Justin is absolutely beautiful. The fact that she has done this is just phenomenal. It’s going to help that lab have what they ultimately need for a cure.”
We thank the Spoon family for sharing Justin’s story and the Radovanovic family and others who support efforts toward cures.
Good time to find a furry friend
Through July 31, you can help “Empty the Shelters” as the BISSELL Pet Foundation helps the Bartholomew County Humane Society offer reduced adoption fees of $50 through the end of July.
BCHS shared in a recent social media post that the shelter is “bursting at the seams.”
“Please share, share, share so we can find these babies homes!” staff wrote. “Some of these guys have been at the shelter for a very long time and deserve a home.”
If you can open your home to a rescue dog or cat, now is a paw-fect time.
