Birch Equipment was recently honored as a 20-year Arthritis Foundation Community Partner for its involvement as a Jingle Bell Run sponsor, participating in the annual run with a Birch Equipment Team and being part of the foundation’s golf tournament.
Birch’s long-term involvement with the foundation started in support of multiple employees and their families affected by arthritis. The company’s participation has generated $30,000 in contributions with a third of that raised through the company Jingle Bell Run Team in the past six years. Birch’s team has most recently been led by employee Stephen Mitchell and his wife Morgan. The Mitchell’s oldest child lives with juvenile arthritis.
“Our son was diagnosed with JRA when he was just two years old,” said Stephen Mitchell. “As the parents of a young child we were shocked and frustrated. The unknowns and obstacles our son faced felt catastrophic. The Arthritis Foundation and the Pacific Northwest Chapter has been an invaluable beacon of hope and direction for our son and his family. Our motivation to support the Arthritis Foundation lies not only in giving back for our son, but to ensure that the people and families of tomorrow will know they have a place to turn, a door to open...a cure.”
Birch Equipment was recognized at the foundation’s annual community appreciation luncheon this spring. The arthritis organization is just one of many that the company supports. Each year, Birch donates an average of $100,000 annually to local charities and organizations.
Birch Equipment is based in Bellingham, Wash., with stores in Bellingham, Anacortes and Mount Vernon, Wash., and Sitka, Alaska. It is No. 93 on the new RER 100.
