Southern Glazer’s Rewards VolunCheer of the Year, Charities
Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits has announced the recipient of its 2022 VolunCheer of the Year Award, Lisa Flowers-Espinosa, customer service manager from Southern Glazer’s in Phoenix. VolunCheers is Southern Glazer’s grassroots employee volunteering and giving program that empowers team members to engage with charities in their local communities. These efforts are managed through the company’s enterprise-wide digital portal, VolunCheers Online, where employees can connect with each other, organize and promote volunteering and giving activities.
For the annual VolunCheer of the Year program, employees voted from among a group of 2022 VolunCheer of the Month winners to determine who would be selected to receive a prize of $5,000 donated to the winner’s charity of choice.
Flowers-Espinosa received special VolunCheer recognition for her efforts in hosting a donation drive for Youth On Their Own (YOTO), a charity that supports local youth with food, school supplies, toiletries, and academic support. In 2022, Flowers-Espinosa successfully spearheaded a donation drive benefiting YOTO by working with a local team of employee volunteers to collect donations to support the youth in her community facing homelessness. The charity was positively overwhelmed by the overflow of donations and commented, “This was the most donations we have ever received at one time!”
In recognition of her award, Flowers-Espinosa selected the Navajo Relief Fund and Boys & Girls Club of the (east) Valley to be the recipients of Southern Glazer’s $5,000 donation, with each charity receiving $2,500 on her behalf.
“The two charities that I have selected play a huge role in everything that I stand for, particularly a better future for youth and their families,” said Flowers-Espinosa. “The Boys and Girls Club serves over 13,000 young people in grades K-12 right in the center of my hometown. As a latch-key kid myself, I understand fully the need for after-school and summer programs for our children, especially youth at risk. Also, a large part of the Arizona population is Native Americans. The Navajo Relief Fund serves the largest Indian reservation in the United States, spanning over 16 million acres in Arizona, New Mexico, and Southern Utah. In the face of extreme poverty and adversity, it just felt right to help the families of Diné Nation (our Native Navajos).”
Southern Glazer’s also rounded out 2022 with its annual Holiday Giving Campaign, during which the company pledged to donate $25 for every volunteer hour logged by employees on VolunCheers Online throughout November and December. The beneficiaries of the campaign are the United States Bartenders’ Guild (USBG), Arbor Day Foundation, Dress for Success, and Feeding America, with 10 percent of total donations benefiting Southern Glazer’s Canada’s charity of choice, Sickkids.
Southern Glazer’s employees more than doubled last year’s results by logging 2,881 volunteer hours in support of diverse causes on VolunCheers Online, resulting in a total donation of $72,025 to support the five selected charities above. As a result of employees’ commitment to giving back, the USBG, Arbor Day Foundation, Dress for Success, and Feeding America will each receive a $16,205.62 donation and Sickkids will receive a $7,205.50 donation, to help further their meaningful work on behalf of Southern Glazer’s.
“Southern Glazer’s encourages volunteerism that fosters opportunity and belonging in the communities where we live and operate,” said Wayne E. Chaplin, chief executive officer. “Our employees are constantly finding ways to expand our volunteer footprint and increase their collective positive impact. The VolunCheers program here at Southern Glazer’s not only makes it easy for employees to find and initiate volunteer and fundraising activities, it allows us to recognize our employees’ commitment to change the world one action at a time.”
Month after month, Southern Glazer’s employees expressed their gratitude through meaningful charitable work. The company is proud to close 2022 with nearly 12,200 employee volunteer hours logged and 210 employee-led volunteer events organized to benefit more than 185 charities.
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SIAL America Cross-Country F&B Show Returns in March
SIAL, the cross-category food and beverage industry network, announced that SIAL America, will take place from March 28-30 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The USDA-endorsed networking and lead-generation event will provide importers, food service companies, distributors, retailers, wholesalers and restaurateurs the opportunity to network with exhibiting food companies from around the world. Attendees will explore the latest in food products and technology via SIAL Innovation, and attend educational seminars devoted to the latest food industry trends.
This extensive how floor features product categories that include Organic & Wellness, Beverages, Grocery, Sweets & Bakery, Fruits & Vegetables, Seafood, Dairy Products, Frozen Foods, Snack Foods, Meats.
Last March, SIAL America made its debut welcoming over 4,600 industry professionals worldwide, delving into cutting-edge food trends such as plant-based alternatives, animal-product traceability, and chocolate and sweets innovations. SIAL will stage six months after the SIAL Paris flagship event drew more than 7,000 exhibitors in October 2022. Domestic and international exhibitors including Real California Milk, Supreme Crab & Seafood, and Haig’s Delicacies have already signed on to participate, along with USA Rice, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Godshall’s, American Beverage Markets, Skechers, Source Logistics and more to be announced.
SIAL America will again feature matchmaking services and VIP networking spaces to connect like-minded businesses. The show will take place next to Emerald’s International Pizza Expo.
Attendee registration for SIAL America is open,
SIAL America is presented in partnership with Emerald and Comexposium. The partnership leverages the respective strengths of Emerald’s leading live events footprint in the United States and Comexposium’s preeminent SIAL global food brand and network.
SIAL Network is the world’s largest network of food and drink fairs. Its 11 regular shows (SIAL Paris, SIAL Canada Montreal, Toronto, SIAL China, SIAL Shenzhen, Food & Drinks Malaysia, SIAL India, SIAL Interfood in Jakarta, Gourmet Selection, Djazagro and The Cheese & Dairy Show ) bring together 16,000 exhibitors and 700,000 visitors from 200 countries.
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Selina Union Market Hotel to Host Mindful Drinking Fest
Selina Hospitality PLC, a fast-growing experiential hospitality brand targeting millennial and Gen Z travelers, will host the second edition of the Mindful Drinking Fest on Jan. 21 in the Selina Union Market hotel in Washington, D.C.
The event begins at 3 p.m. with a grand mindful drinking tasting that includes local, national, and international non-alcoholic beverage producers, such as ready-to-drink cocktails from Mocktail Club, non-alcoholic spirits from Seir Hill, and non-alcoholic wines by German producer Weingut Leitz. The event will also feature a pop-up store to purchase the products.
During the day, attendees will have the opportunity to attend a master class on-alcoholic beverages hosted by event producer and author Derek Brown and join any of the free wellness classes available for free to the attendees.
At night, a Mindful Mixology Competition sponsored by Ritual Zero Proof Spirits and Thomson & Scott will ensue with some of the area’s best mixologists. Attendees will get to try the cocktails themselves and even vote for the finalists. The night will conclude with DJs, dancing, and even more great non-alcoholic beverages, hosted by Disco Mary, a popular no- and low-alcohol pop-up created by Maria Bastasch and formerly housed in D.C.’s prestigious cocktail bar, Columbia Room.
Grand Tasting passes are available for $35 and include samples, access to the classes, and a tasting glass. Night-time passes to the competition and after-party are available for $75. And All-day passes, inclusive of the grand tasting, classes, tasting glass, competition, and after-party, are available for the special price of $95. All tickets are available here.
Opened last year, Selina Union Market’s goal in 2023 will focus on the local community with an emphasis on wellness classes, dance nights, art workshops, Sunday farmer’s markets, an incredible rooftop bar, and more.
Founded in 2014 and custom-built for today’s nomadic traveler, Selina provides guests with a global infrastructure to seamlessly travel and work abroad. Each Selina property is designed in partnership with local artists, creators, and tastemakers, breathing new life into existing buildings in 25 countries and six continents – from urban cities to remote beaches and jungles. To learn more, visit www.selina.com or follow Selina on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or YouTube.
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