What started as an annual company meeting for Chase International, our partners in the Revitalize Tahoe Biltmore project, turned into an unprecedented 20-minute event that raised $100,000 to support “Operation Save the Tahoe Basin” fundraising project to purchase a Fire Rescue Helicopter.
Before the meeting on March 23, Chase International representatives and EKN Development Group spearheaded the idea before the annual meeting.
“As stewards of the Lake Tahoe Basin’s most significant revitalization project, we feel it is our duty to support initiatives that positively impact the entire region,” said Ebbie K. Nakhjavani, President and CEO of EKN. “We collaborated with Chase International, which oversees the sales and marketing for our project, to discover ways to be effective. When we heard about Operation Save the Tahoe Basin, there was no question that we had to be involved.”
During every annual meeting, Chase International sets aside time to unveil their yearly project as part of their “Chase Cares” company-wide mission to support the communities in which they live. For this annual meeting, they invited Scott Lindgren, Fire Chief for the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, to educate the agents and staff about his District’s (and others in the Basin) initiative to raise money to purchase a Fire Rescue Helicopter. In brief, his presentation acknowledged that there are no dedicated aerial resources within the Basin to assist with fires and emergency rescues, and there is a desperate need to have an aggressive, immediate response helicopter.
Within moments after Chief Lindgren’s presentation, they announced that if every agent donated just $62 that Chase International could raise $20,000. He then revealed that EKN would match that amount if that occurred. To add to the sizzle, Shari Chase, Founder & CEO of Chase International, announced that CHASE CARES would match every dollar raised by the people in the room and said, “Let’s do it now!”
“The room burst with a mind-blowing scene of the participants pledging donations at every level,” said Mike Dunn, Vice President of Development for Chase International.
Twenty minutes later, agents and staff of the Chase International Family of Companies, CHASE CARES and EKN raised $100,000.
For specific details and to donate to the Fire Rescue Helicopter project, visit TahoeFire.org/helicopter.
