AD launches disaster relief initiative
The Wayne, Pa.-based AD buying/marketing group has launched the AD Disaster Relief Foundation (www.ADFoundation.com), a new 501(C)(3) entity that enables the AD community to support one another’s people when natural or manmade disasters strike.
Bill Weisberg, AD’s chairman and CEO, announced the new foundation during his keynote address at the 2017 AD North American Meeting for its industrial and electrical divisions. The AD NA Meeting for the buying group’s PHCP and Decorative Brands divisions in Orlando in September was cancelled due to Hurricane Irma.
“When one of our members or suppliers is going through a major hardship or disaster in their company and community, there are many of us who would like to help,” he said. “But oftentimes we don’t know how or whom to help. It’s in this spirit and to solve this problem that we’ve created the AD Disaster Relief Foundation.”
Donors to the AD Disaster Relief Foundation will be able to give monetary support to the specific member and supplier companies they choose and receive tax deductions for their contributions. The foundation also is working toward donors being able to provide in-kind donations (i.e., building materials, generators, cleaning supplies etc.) and receive tax deductions for those as well.
Weisberg’s family is funding 100% of the operational and administrative costs of the foundation so that 100% of all donations go directly to the people in AD member and supplier companies that need it.
“When we started this project in January we had no way to know that there would be so many terrible disasters impacting our members and suppliers this year,” Weisberg said. “So we have accelerated the rollout of the project to help people. In just under two weeks the foundation already has received a dozen grant applications from the AD members and suppliers who have people who lost their homes and property due to hurricanes Maria and Harvey.
“There are a lot of people in this world with serious needs and we can’t help them all. But we can help at least some of them recover some of their losses. We can help at least some of the people who work at our own company — and the companies of our friends and customers. And if we can, well then we should. AD’s tagline is: ‘Together, we win.’ But together we also hurt. And so together, we help.”
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