Lowell, Arkansas – CRI received the 2013 Spirit of Rogers-Lowell Award. This honor was bestowed upon CRI by the Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce in recognition of their significant contribution to the betterment of the community. CRI was recognized for giving above and beyond to the community through its involvement and leadership within the Northwest Arkansas Toys for Tots foundation and its own internal organization Operation H.O.G. (Handing Out Gratitude).
The award was presented at the 92nd Annual Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce Banquet, held at the John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers, Ark. This annual event brought together 1,000+ Northwest Arkansas business leaders and celebrated the accomplishments of the previous year, honored outstanding businesses and individuals within the community, all while setting the tone for the coming business year. The event included a reception and dinner featuring both the keynote speaker and annual awards presentation.
CRI has served as the headquarters for the Northwest Arkansas donation center for the Marine Corps Toys for Tots foundation over the past few years. Donation efforts for this year’s event totaled 12,403 toys and were distributed among 6,277 children throughout Benton and Washington counties in Northwest Arkansas during the 2013 holiday season.
Various organizations within the community submit requests for toys and every one of these orders were fulfilled. The foundation even had a small amount of toys left over, which will give them a head start next year. CRI is proud to support the Toys for Tots foundation and its mission to bring the magic of Christmas to less fortunate children in the community.
Operation H.O.G. was started by CRI in 2011, with the mission of providing holiday care packages to deployed U.S. Service Members. In an effort to demonstrate our sincere gratitude for those serving away from their home base, CRI employees collected donations at their company headquarters and prepared packages for shipping. In November 2013, CRI employees came together for the 3rd annual Operation H.O.G. charity event. Due to the incredible efforts of CRI employees, who encouraged community businesses and organizations to also participate, a total of 130 care packages were packaged and sent to U.S. Service Members across the world.
