At ClientCircle, we love to give back to our communities. We have a standing program that matches employees’ donations to non-profits, and we regularly volunteer our time to organizations that help others.

And of course, we always try to do something special for families in need around the holidays. In December of 2023, we launched our first “Spread the Joy” initiative.

Every employee who wanted to participate received a sum of money from the company to spend on a “Spread the Joy” activity of their choice. There were no rules other than you had to spend the money toward brightening someone’s day or helping someone in need. We wanted employees to get creative.

Here are just a few of our team members’ stories.

A cause close to her heart

Caitlin has had multiple grandparents who suffered from Alzheimer's before their passing. Caitlin found a local memory care facility. When asking the staff what the residents could use, they mentioned a few things including DVDs, because they love watching movies. Caitlin was able to donate movies, blankets, fuzzy socks, hand lotions, lip balm, board games, nail polish, word searches, coloring books and colored pencils, hand sanitizers, and homemade cookies. Caitlin, along with her mom and sister, spent some time after Thanksgiving with these residents. “Hearing their stories and seeing the joy that a pair of fuzzy socks brought to their faces made me super thankful to be able to do something like this,” Caitlin says.

A foundation for cure

Hannah’s close friend, Michael, passed away from complications following heart surgery last April. He had been diagnosed with Marfan syndrome after he went to a routine physical, where his doctor heard a heart murmur. When he got an echocardiogram, they found a large ascending aortic aneurysm.

About ten days after his successful surgery to remove the aneurysm, a blood clot unexpectedly reached his heart. He stopped breathing and passed away the following morning.

One thing Michael said before he passed was that he wanted to start a foundation for Marfan syndrome. His sister took it into her hands to make his wish come true. She created The Michael Henter Foundation to honor his legacy and to support Marfan syndrome research and advocacy in Michael's memory. Hannah contributed her funds to Michael’s foundation.

Gifts for the kids

Kalie participates in a group that adopted a kindergarten classroom of 12 students in need at a Title One, 100% free breakfast and lunch elementary school in Arizona.

She contributed her “Spread the Joy” funds to make sure all 12 kids received three new gifts on their wish lists as well as new outfits. Among the kids’ favorite gifts were a new Razor scooter, a Jurassic World Indominous Rex action figure and a remote-controlled car.

The joy of reading

Alison lives a block away from an elementary school on the main road in her town. She is installing a little library on the corner of her property this spring so children and adults can experience the joy of getting lost in a book. Additionally, Alison is planning to add a bench and flower garden to encourage passersby to stay longer and read. “As a longtime lover of reading, I’ve always wanted to find a way to share this passion of mine with my community,” Alison said about why she chose to build a little library.

A man’s best friend

Lauren loves her two dogs, Jack and Ada. She does everything she can to give them the best care possible which, as fellow pet owners know, can be very expensive at times. It often occurs to Lauren how lucky she is that she has never had to sacrifice her dog's health and care due to how expensive it can be, and she knows that this is not always the case for everyone. She spoke to her vet about this who referred her to a program run by the Animal Rescue League that helps pet owners when they can't afford veterinary expenses. Her vet said she’s seen the program help many pets get the care they need and prevent families who are down on their luck from having to part with their pets due to the high expenses.

A simple wish

Keegan did some research and landed on www.onesimplewish.org where people can post wishes that range from bills to presents. He found a boy who had been a part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program for the past eight years. Big Brothers Big Sisters posted the wish on the boy’s behalf. He is graduating from high school with aspirations of heading to college and furthering his education. He had a couple hundred dollars in fees related to graduation and the ceremony, so Keegan was able to cover those costs for him so the young man didn’t need to worry and could enjoy his last semester in high school.

Small gestures count

Jake used his money in a few ways. He left large cash tips (30%–50%) when he went anywhere, and he would buy lunch/dinner/coffee when going out with friends or meeting up with anyone. He felt like this was a more low-key approach that helped him continuously remember to spread the joy since the initiative began.

These are just a few of the heartwarming stories our team members shared. They put their funds toward a whole range of initiatives—from buying a stranger a coffee to making the small wishes of others come true and delivering gifts to daycares, schools, retirement homes, animal shelters, etc.

We loved sharing these stories and learning what causes our team members care about. And we were once again reminded of how much more joy it is to give than to receive.

We encourage you to join us in spreading the joy and trying this initiative with your team. You don’t have to wait for the holidays—giving is a year-round activity!