Stories of Giving Back

Giving back to your local communities helps bridge social and economic gaps while cultivating a culture of support. Read what two JX Gives Back Family Foundation donors have to say about their experience with giving back. 

Sandy Kennedy, Branch Coordinator, JX Truck Center – Elmhurst 

Sandy has been involved with the JX Gives Back since the beginning of the program. Sandy gives in more ways than through her bi-weekly donations. “There are so many things you can do,” says Sandy. She involves her grandchildren in volunteer opportunities whether it is collecting school supplies or participating in fundraising events. Sandy chooses to give back because you never know when you will change a person’s life. Regularly lending a helping hand to food pantries such as New Hope Community Food Pantry and Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry is one way JX Gives Back’s mission provides support to neighbors. 

Sandy Kennedy’s granddaughter, Noelle, purchasing perishable goods for a food donation.

Phil Koetje, Used Truck Sales Executive, JX Truck Center – Grand Rapids

Phil, a JX Gives Back ambassador and committee member, describes JX Gives Back as a “light in the corner of the world”. JX Gives Back allows JX associates to connect and build meaningful relationships with community members. Supporting not-for-profit organizations that are actively breaking the cycle of poverty, specifically in youth, is important to him. Organizations such as Dorr to Eden, 4 Kids Sake, Gilda’s Club of Grand Rapids, and Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha remove barriers, empower youth, and forge a path to success. He would like to reach out to JX employees and community members in the hope to encourage donation requests of 501(c)(3) organizations that are positively impacting others.

Phil Koetje (right) presenting a JX Gives Back check to the Buist Community Assistance Center, an independent, non-profit organization providing food and clothing for those in need.

If you would like to participate towards the JX Gives Back mission, your donation will be 100% matched by the Jorgensen Family, up to $10,000 every month.  This match will be in addition to the JX associates donations provided every month. Share your stories to jxgivesback@jxe.com.

Author: Emily Hautzinger, Corporate Outreach Coordinator

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JX Gives Back: 2020 Review

The JX Gives Back program has reached many milestones in 2020. The JX Gives Back Family Foundation officially received it’s 501(c)3 status. This year, JX Gives Back has successfully donated to 118 non-profit organizations and continued to partner with charitable organizations to deliver over $100,000 to our communities. I hope to share the enthusiasm and pride from the impact made together.

The pandemic has placed enormous strain on many nonprofit organizations in our neighborhoods. JX Gives Back had the opportunity to support many inspirational organizations that are stepping up to provide immediate emergency response. The Kids Food Basket provided 8,800 nourishing after school meals for students in need across the Grand Rapids area. NAMI Southern Wisconsin adapted their operations to offer virtual programs and increase access to mental health services.

Increased focus on supporting food pantries across Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan was a key objective this year due to the pandemic. Many of these food pantries have adjusted to curbside and deliver operations. The year has reminded us that supporting our local communities is more important than ever. These funds have supported many organizations involved in human services, education, health and more. 

Looking Forward

Looking forward into 2021, we will continue to advance the mission of JX Gives Back in new ways. We aim to increase the foundation giving capacity by increasing fundraising and developing new programs. 

Thank you to all JX associations, community members, and families that have come together and supported JX Gives Back. We encourage everyone to continue to submit 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations that serve and bring positive change to our local communities.

Author: Emily Hautzinger, Corporate Outreach Coordinator

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Tremendous growth is underway at JX Gives Back in so many ways.

From 2002 to 2018, our charitable donations have been a little over $500,000. In 2019, we are projected to make over $160,000 in Charitable, non-profits 501(c)(3) donations.

Our second annual Charity Golf Outing is scheduled for Monday, September 16, 2019. Registrations are strong and we are hopeful for another successful event. A highlight this year is that one of our Hole-In-One prizes will be a brand new Peterbilt Quad Axle Dump Truck valued in the $200,000 range!

Activity, specifically in the growth of JX Employees participating in bi-weekly payroll deductions has increased as well as engagement in submitting charities that merit our donation considerations.

As we approach 2020, we will have more focus on our Volunteer Time Off (VTO) program for employees to engage and participate in various charitable events and be paid for it.

Putting effort into growing our culture of Giving Back, I felt a great way to summarize our positive progress was by sharing a great picture. JX Gives Back Committee member, Sandy Kennedy from JX Truck Center Elmhurst shared a recent picture of her grand-kids: L/R Julien age 7 and Noelle age 5 Volunteering at Feed Our Starving Children campaign. What a terrific way to help plant the initial seed of Giving Back at an early age.

Give Back & Be Well.

Author: Corporate Outreach Manager

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Wrapping up 2018 and the terrific progress made in our philanthropic endeavors…. We have made real differences for many non-profit organizations and the people that are positively benefiting from our efforts.

JX Gives Back continues to gain momentum in donation amounts, due in large to the increase of our associates who donate through bi-weekly payroll deductions, which provide the option to be casual in wearing blue-jeans and more comfortable clothing on either Friday’s or everyday.

Looking at the numbers; Over the course of the past 18 years, JX has donated over $447,000 to 1,184 non-profit organizations. That’s an average of $24,840 each year.  In 2018 alone, the total donations to 93 non-profit 501(c)(3) charities and events, including food pantries was $87,906, so our growth in these supportive endeavors is very evident.  Of the $87,906 donated in 2018, $36,610 came directly from employee payroll deductions and cash contributions. Just under $35,000 came from our first “JX Gives Back Charity Golf Outing” held at the Chenequa Country Club in August and the balance was direct company donations from JX.  Additionally, JX covered other expenses for events and programs that are not in these totals.

In addition to financial donations, JX also launched our VTO – Volunteer “paid” Time Off policy. This program currently provides up to 8 hours for full-time and 4 hours for part-time associates annually to be paid for volunteering their time during normal working hours with a qualified charitable cause or organization.

Looking forward in 2019; We are confident that we will be assisting over 100 non-profit organizations and charitable causes financially and we will be expanding our reach in assisting more in our VTO program for worthy programs and events.  We are also using our monthly JX Gives Back Committee Conference Call to bring in speakers from charitable organizations to help educate us on various research progress, organizations needs and volunteer opportunities.

The JX Gives Back “Committee” was formed in early 2018 with at least one employee represented from each company branch and division. Committee members are engaged in the recommendation, selection and the presentation process for every donation.  The experiences of being involved in presenting donations in person to these charities and in some events being able to see first hand the reaction of some of the people benefiting directly from our efforts is extremely rewarding. Our JX Gives Back Committee members and associates are engaged and passionate about our endeavors and our customer partners who have supported and recommended many of the Charities have been appreciative of our support.

Author: Corporate Outreach Manager

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JX SURPASSES THE ORIGINAL $20,000 GOAL AT THE FIRST EVER JX GIVES BACK CHARITY GOLF OUTING

Hartland, WI – September 13, 2018 – On Monday August 20, 2018 JX Enterprises held their first JX Gives Back Charity Golf Outing at the Chenequa Golf Club in Hartland, WI. JX Enterprises is the parent company of 20 JX Truck Center locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. The JX Gives Back Charity Golf Outing is an evolution from five previous Polar Plunge events, which raised nearly $120,000 for cancer research and cure.

The golf outing was tremendously supported and attended by vendors, customers and employees. The results surpassed the original $20,000 goal to nearly $34,000 which will be shared equally with the four charities that were selected by the JX Gives Back Employee Committee. One local charity was selected for each of the four states that JX has locations in:

• Wisconsin: The Ellen Louise Mechling Smith (ELMS) Fund for Cancer Research & Cure at Froedtert Hospital and The Medical College of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, WI

 Ellen, wife of a JX employee lost her battle with cancer in 2013. The five Polar Plunges noted above had been conducted in her and others honor who have lost, are still battling or have survived the terrible disease.

• Illinois: The Eastern Illinois Food Pantry – Chicago, IL

Founded in 1983, this organization exists to alleviate hunger in a fourteen county region in eastern Illinois. They serve nearly 35,000 people on a monthly basis

• Indiana: The Indy Honor Flight Program – Mooresville, IN

Honor flights are a nationwide phenomenon which recognizes and thanks our service men and women who have served to protect our country, security, freedoms and way of life.

• Michigan: ArtPrize – Grand Rapids, MI

Launched in 2009, this free to the public event generates 500,000 visitors to Grand Rapids highlighting works from artists from around the country. Proceeds are directed to introduce youth, inspire, enrich and expand the culture of art.

JX Gives Back is an important part of the JX Enterprises mission to give back to the communities in which we live and work because we are more than just trucks. The JX Gives Back Committee is made up of employee representatives from each of JX’s current 20 locations. In addition to direct funding from JX, employees donate funds with a bi-weekly payroll deduction in a program called Casual For A Cause. In exchange, employees may be more casual and wear jeans to work. Diesel technicians who participate in the Casual For A Cause program receive tool expense gift cards that are more than three times the amount of their individual donations. Another growing charitable program is Volunteer Time Off which gives employees the opportunity to get paid while volunteering on charitable events during normal scheduled work hours.      

Written by: Corporate Outreach Manager

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At JX, growing and developing our associates from within is something we take pride in. Investing in our people is at the top of our priority list to help them reach their full potential and become the best version of themselves. Not only do we work to invest our own, we also invest in current students enrolled in local technical schools around our region.

On Monday, July 9th, JX Enterprises presented two Scholarships to Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC) for the upcoming fall 2018/19 school year. The JX Truck Center – Gary L. Krogman Scholarship for a WCTC student enrolled in the Diesel Tech program, and the JX Truck Center – Patrick L. Walsh Scholarship for a WCTC student enrolled in the Business School for Accounting, Finance, Marketing or IT programs, are the two offered scholarships.

Gary Krogman retired from JX Truck Center – Waukesha after nearly 44 years as a Technician. Pat Walsh, who was unable to attend, retired from JX Enterprises two years ago where he served as President of JX Financial.

JX is working with numerous Technical College’s within our current four state region of locations to fund scholarships to assist students enrolled in programs that mirror the career opportunities that we offer. JX has many former and current students from these colleges employed in full and part-time positions at JX Truck Centers and our Corporate office.

The scholarships run through each Technical College’s ‘Foundation’ program, and students can apply via the school website with their student ID number. The selection of students to receive the scholarship is decided by the school committees, not JX.

Pictured L/R: Rich Yezzi, VP of Operations, Michael Shiels, Dean of Applied Sciences @ WCTC, Gary Krogman, Retired JX Truck Center – Waukesha Body Shop Technician, Greg Torosian, SBU Director for JX Service Departments, April Carlson, Manager of Corporate Accounting and Eric Jorgensen, President & CEO of JX Enterprises.

Written by: Corporate Outreach Manager

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Here at JX, a major part of our mission statement and credo is “Giving Back” to the communities in which we live and work. We value the relationships between our customers, vendors, neighbors, and surrounding charities who work tirelessly to help those in need.  

Our community involvement story originates back to Dee Jorgensen, the mother of our CEO/President, Eric Jorgensen. Dee helped establish the Waukesha County Food Pantry nearly 40 years ago, and her mission was to help those in need around the Greater Waukesha community. Over the years, her work has left a mark throughout JX. From Casual for a Cause, to our JX Gives Back initiative, to our employee Volunteer Time Off program, Dee sparked something special.

Our JX Gives Back and Casual for a Cause programs work to raise money for various local organizations and charities around our dealerships. Feeding America is a charity in which JX Gives Back will be donating to in the near future. This organization works to “feed America’s hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger”, as stated on their website.

As of this year in June, Feeding America reports that 13 million American children face hunger, and that 41,200,000 Americans are food insecure, meaning they don’t know when or where they will receive their next meal, according to the Readers Digest June issue.

Feeding America is a charity that is being considered for a JX Gives Back or Casual For A Cause donation in our upcoming reviews.

To learn more about Feeding America and their mission, visit FeedingAmerica.org

Author & Info-graphics: Brooke Bayer, Digital Media Specialist

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At JX, we are dedicated to making a difference, on and off the road.

Community service, support, and engagement is woven into the fabric of our organization’s culture. Throughout each quarter, our Associates donate money to the JX Gives Back fund through Casual for a Cause, an initiative that allows Associates to wear jeans in exchange for donations. At the end of the quarter, our JXGB Committee selects a 501(c)(3) organization to receive the accumulated donations. This quarter, we selected Bee Brave!

Bee Brave is a community of like-minded individuals who are passionate about raising breast cancer awareness, supporting fighters, and honoring those whose battle has ended.

Every year, Bee Brave hosts an annual golf outing. One-hundred percent of the proceeds generated from the event are donated to support breast cancer awareness and cure efforts. JX has donated $500 to support the 2018 golf outing.

The golf outing support request was submitted from Grand Rapids customer, Sharon Rearick from VanKampen Trucking. The donation was coordinated by Justin Buskirk and Sonja Milanovic from JX Truck Center – Grand Rapids.

As a reminder, requests for donations and support are to be submitted via our JX Website or coordinated by any JX Associate. Organizations need to be 501(c)(3)’s with charity ratings of 3 stars or better. To check the rating of potential organizations, please visit Charity Navigator’s website.

Thank you to everyone who participated and donated to JX Gives Back!

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A crucial component of JX’s Vision Statement is, “to strengthen and add value to our key partner groups, including [our] community.”

In 2017, JX launched “JX Gives Back.” This committee is made up of dedicated JX volunteer employees who represent the four states JX does business in. The committee reviews many 501(c)3, non-profit organization requests, as well as submission from JX employees, for charitable donations. We then issue a payout to a selected organization every 100 days.

At the turn of the new year, JX Gives Back issued an award to the Chaplain’s fund. The Chaplain’s Fund, headed by Father Dan Fitten, is a 501(c)3 organization that assists veterans in need. JXGB committee member, Lori Reynolds, delivered a check to help a Veteran turn a new leaf. Father Dan was kind enough to share the Vet’s story.

For years, John struggled with a substance abuse problem. Finally, he acknowledged it was time to make a change. He had been saving money to help pay for a substance abuse program, when a family emergency depleted his funds. Without the financial means to enroll in the program, John was beginning to feel hope for his recovery was lost.

Amazingly, Father Dan, from the Chaplain’s Fund, was able to get in contact with our JX Gives Back Committee and share John’s story. After reading the heartfelt words about the organization and John’s struggle, JX Gives Back was thrilled to issue a check to support John’s recovery. That check gave John the ability to enroll in an entry level program, and more importantly, the freedom to take back his life.

Author: Corporate Outreach Manager

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