Ashley employees donate nearly $74,000 to children's hospitals

Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo
·2 min read

Jan. 26—For the 17th consecutive year, employees of Ashley Furniture Industries have shown their generosity through the company's "Dollar a Week" program.

Workers from locations in Ecru, Verona, Ripley and Saltillo donated a total of nearly $74,000 to Le Bonheur Children's Hospital and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital during the past year.

Le Bonheur will receive a donation of $31,504, while St. Jude $42,410. Since 2006, Ashley employees have contributed $347,883 to Le Bonheur. Since 2012, employees have contributed $279,868.

"Le Bonheur Children's Hospital is thankful for companies like Ashley Furniture and its employees of North Mississippi for their generous donation once again," Le Bonheur President and CEO, Michael Wiggins said. "Thanks in part to their generosity for the past 18 years, Le Bonheur is able to ensure that our patients and families are able to receive the best care whenever they need us."

Tanya Frey, Vice President, Midsouth Territory for ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, said, "Our hearts are filled with gratitude for this generous donation from Ashley Furniture employees through their 'Dollar a Week' program. The support we receive through this partnership helps St. Jude continue its ongoing $12.9 billion, six-year strategic plan that will help more of the 400,000 children around the world with cancer each year."

In addition to these employee contributions, Ron Wanek, Founder and Chairman of Ashley, and his wife Joyce, made a personal donation of $5,000 to each organization.

"We are proud to support both of these outstanding organizations in their efforts to find cures for childhood diseases," Wanek said. "I am thrilled by all of our employees who continue this generosity year after year and we hope this gift helps ease some of the burden on patients' families."

In addition to the money raised for LeBonheur and St. Jude at the Mississippi plants, Ashley employees also supported a variety of different organizations through the "Dollar a Week" program, including $8,582 to Ronald McDonald House Charities, $63,003 to Ashley's Angels, and $18,891 to miscellaneous organizations such as Relay for Life, Together for Tippah and Rotary Coats for Kids.