Oberlin, Ohio—The Natural Stone Institute made a donation to the Gary Sinise Foundation in support of its R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment) program. The R.I.S.E. program builds 100% mortgage-free, specially adapted smart homes for severely wounded veterans and first responders. This donation was made possible by Salado.
Funds were raised via an online survey for the design community: each response received increased the donation amount, for a total of $1,000. The goal of the survey was to gain a better understanding of how design professionals prefer to access information about natural stone. Tying the survey to a charitable cause garnered further excitement for involvement and provided participants with an opportunity to give back.
Byron Davis, chief marketing officer for Salado, commented, “Salado has a deep respect and appreciation for those who serve our country. We have staff and family that range from active and reservists, to retired and former military. Veterans are valued by Salado, so we are honored to be able to recognize their service and sacrifices by providing monetary contributions and natural stone for two homes (so far) through our membership in the Natural Stone Institute in support of the Gary Sinise Foundation’s R.I.S.E. program.”
Jane Bennett, Natural Stone Institute executive vice president, added, “We are grateful to Salado for helping make this donation possible. The information from this survey will be used to further our education efforts to the design community through Building Stone Magazine, CEU opportunities, and other outlets. The fact that we were able to give back to such an important cause through this effort makes it even more meaningful.”