BOT’s holiday tradition has been the sending of unique and delightful gifts to our friends the world over. For Holiday 2020, however – at the merciful end of a year unlike any other – the company made a break with its decade-old tradition and instead redirected those resources to help the many who are struggling.
A break with tradition: This shift birthed the initiative dubbed A Helping Hand. Several worthy causes were chosen for their established outreach in areas of great need around the world. Then, clients and friends of BOT sent in their votes to direct the allocation of the $25,000 earmarked for charity.
BOT CEO Hitesh Shah observed, “Given the year everyone has had, it just didn’t feel right to send gifts for the holiday season as usual. As a company we wanted to respond to the major challenges going on in some meaningful ways, so we decided to reach out to our community for their collective input about where to direct charitable donations.”
Mission fulfilled: We are happy to report that we have completed the contribution of $25,000 to these three organizations:
- $10,000 to Akshaya Patra
- $10,000 to Doctors Without Borders
- $ 5,000 to National Alliance to End Homelessness
There has been an outpouring of support for A Helping Hand from BOT friends and clients. “I love that you are giving to charities. Gifts are nice, but this is much, much better!” one person noted. “This is a wonderful idea in a time that is so uncertain,” said another. Another observed that “this is so far the best present I have received from you.” BOT sends a heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated.