During CCA Global Partners LIFT 2020 virtual event, leaders highlighted the efforts made by local members who give back to their communities and how they, as a group, rally for long-standing initiatives in support of worthy causes. From the pink ribbon welcome mat program that has been raising funds for breast cancer research since 2004 to Design for a Difference, a program created by International Design Guild provides much needed makeovers for local charities, there are many ways that the flooring companies of CCA do good.

A video introduced a presentation with Chairman, co-Founder and co-CEO Howard Brodsky and Frank Siller, CEO of the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

CCA has partnered with the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation for many years – starting in 2014 when Carpet One Floor & Home started installing floors in the Smart Homes built by the organization for catastrophically injured veterans. Today, many of CCA’s companies support the many initiatives of the foundation and the company has been a top fundraiser for the organizations T2T 5K event each year.

During their discussion, Brodsky and Siller shared the importance of supporting frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We want to tell the stories of these people across North America who have been there for us, those that couldn’t isolate themselves, the ones out there working for us every day,” Brodsky said. “Doctors and nurses and even maintenance workers in hospitals, these are the new heroes.”

Brodsky shared a new initiative for the cooperative called Faces of Gratitude. The first phase of this initiative it to recognize these individuals who have put themselves at greater risk to fight COVID-19 and keep our communities running during the pandemic. This includes a social media campaign and website where frontline heroes are front and center.

Phase two of this initiative is to give back to the frontline and essential workers with special discounts and offers during and Essential Workers Week sometime in November.

Siller applauded CCA’s efforts and echoed the sentiment about recognizing these new heroes.

“These are the heroes of today. Our police, our firefighters and our military are always risking their lives, but our healthcare worker and those that are working with COVID-19 have to be recognized. They’re willing to risk their lives every single day for you and me," Siller said. 

In additional to all the programs the Foundation already supports, Siller announced that they have recently created a COVID-19 Fund. This fund has already supported the delivery of $3 million personal protective equipment items across the US including masks, shields, and gloves.

The fund has also allocated $1 million for the families that lose someone “in the line of duty” during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Foundation has already used this fund to assist 34 families of doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other frontline heroes, many of them leaving behind young children. The Foundation will take over their mortgage payments for at least the next year to take away some of the financial strain on these families.

For more information on the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, visit https://tunnel2towers.org/ and for more information on CCA’s Faces of Gratitude project visit https://www.facesofgratitude.com/.