Honoring nearly a decade of the Buy & Give copy paper program, enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at Millcraft’s Buy & Give check presentation season.
Each year for nearly a decade, Millcraft has conducted Buy & Give check presentation ceremonies, sharing annual group photos with smiling faces and larger-than-life checks – but the deep impact, meaningful hope, and community connection present in every photo is hard to fit into any frame.
Seeing Millcraft’s Buy & Give check presentation photos, you may wonder: What is the Buy & Give initiative? How is the Buy & Give check amount earned? Where does the donation money go? Who are the people holding these checks? And what does this have to do with me, or paper?
To experience behind the scenes of Millcraft’s annual check presentation season includes walking through the Buy & Give initiative itself and coming to understand how ordinary copy paper becomes extraordinary at the hands of many — how Buy & Give paper becomes a vehicle for funding a nonprofit that works to cure childhood cancer. An instrument that provides food on weekends for school-aged children who might otherwise go hungry. A product that brings hope to families facing critical illness.
Meet Millcraft’s Buy & Give
Millcraft’s Buy & Give initiative empowers businesses to contribute to local charities with each purchase of Buy & Give brand office paper. A donation of $1 is made to the program for every carton of paper bought. Millcraft collaborates with Domtar, a global leader in fiber-based products, to promote Buy & Give multi-purpose paper across Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Established in 2015, Millcraft’s Buy & Give copy paper program has generated nearly $770,000 for local charities within Midwest communities that Millcraft serves, impacting thousands of people and families.
Millcraft President and CEO Travis Mlakar says the initiative has come to further define and strengthen the culture within Millcraft itself. "Buy & Give, conceived as a simple idea to leverage everyday copy paper for local charitable giving, has evolved into a cornerstone of Millcraft's mission—to meaningfully impact the communities in which we operate daily,” Mlakar shares.
As you come further behind the scenes of Millcraft’s annual Buy & Give check presentation season, you may find that alongside seeing group photos of Millcraft employees gathered with team members from charitable organizations – smiling faces and larger-than-life checks – you’ll also come to recognize the deep impact, meaningful hope, and community connection that is present in every photo.
Buy & Give: Meet Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton
Discover an unexpected kinship, as Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton describes Millcraft Dayton as “a pillar in our community” and “Millcraft is part of our hospice family. Yes, we have a philanthropic relationship, and the people of Millcraft have also become family to us.” Read Buy & Give: Honoring Community with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton and reveal which Millcraft team member is described as a champion, superstar, and, “His passion inspires us all.”
The Millcraft Dayton team initiated the festive season with generosity by contributing their check to Ohio's Hospice of Dayton. In the image, the Hospice of Dayton team from left to right includes Jill Lewis, Development Director; Yvonne Turner, Sr. Regional Vice President of Clinical Care; Abbey Swick, Donor Relations & Special Event Coordinator; and Sydney Munch (standing behind Yvonne and Abbey), Engagement Officer. On the Millcraft side, from left to right, stand David Black, Warehouse Lead; Evan Baker, Dayton Division Manager; Randy Britton, Sr. Account Manager; John Ring, Assistant Division Manager; Jody Maus, Sr. Account Manager; Jarett Patton, Account Manager; Jim Hewitt, Sr. Account Manager; and Greg Lovensheimer, EVP and COO Millcraft.
Buy & Give: Meet Blessings in a Backpack
Connect further with the only national nonprofit that concentrates on feeding kids over weekends – and the 80,000 current and rising number of children in Louisville who are now eligible to receive nourishment from Blessings in a Backpack - Louisville Chapter – in Buy & Give: Nourishing the Future with Blessings in a Backpack. Explore how copy paper becomes part of nutritious, shelf-stable food made possible for families in homes that may not even have access to a stove.
Millcraft's Louisville team proudly supported Blessings In A Backpack, a charity aimed at providing food to children in need. At Blessing in a Backpack Headquarters in Louisville, KY, the team gathered to present their check. Among the attendees, from left to right, were Greg Jones, Account Manager; Candace Soward, Account Manager; Kim Holsclaw, Blessings In A Backpack Managing Director – Louisville Chapter; Mark Bell, Account Manager; and Pablo Diaz, Division Manager.
Buy & Give: Meet Prayers From Maria
Discover an extraordinary connection between paper and hope, the prayers of one little girl and the promise of two parents, in Buy & Give: Growing Hope with Prayers From Maria. Dedicated to funding global research into the causes, prevention, treatments, and cure for the deadliest childhood brain tumors known as gliomas, Prayers From Maria has acquired follow-on funding from the National Institute of Health and other organizations resulting in more than $12 million going to numerous promising research studies and the fight against childhood brain cancer.
Millcraft's Cleveland team proudly supported Prayers From Maria, dedicated to funding global research into the causes, prevention, treatments, and cure for the deadliest childhood brain tumors known as gliomas. At Prayers from Maria in Rocky River, OH, the team gathered to present their check. Among the attendees, from left to right, First Row: Mandy Hilston, Account Manager; Jill DiNicolantonio, Account Manager; Edward McNamara, Maria's Dad, Co-Founder of Prayers From Maria Foundation; Bev Sloan, Account Manager; Second Row: Aaron Catlett, Division Manager; Josh Mazeroski, Account Manager; Paul Jarzynka, Account Manager; Mark Wodoslawsky, Account Manager; Brad Carey, Account Manager; Mark Holocker, Account Manager; and Gina Allen, Account Manager.
Buy & Give: Meet Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana
What did Sammy, a five-year-old wish child with a critical illness who also uses a wheelchair, wish for? (Hint: Family Time) Experience the surprise of a lifetime and a one-of-a-kind Wish Reveal with Sammy, Millcraft Fort Wayne/Indianapolis, and Make-A-Wish® Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana in Buy & Give: More Than a Partnership on Paper with Make-A-Wish®
Millcraft's Indiana team proudly supported Make-A-Wish foundation, creating life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. The team gathered to present their check. Among the attendees, from left to right, Make-A-Wish Staff Member, Make-A-Wish Staff Member, Make-A-Wish Staff Member, Deanna Goelz, Customer Service Representative; Dalton Conway, Account Manager; and Allen Leece, Warehouse.
Buy & Give: Meet C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital
Since 2015, Millcraft’s Buy & Give proceeds to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital total more than $100,000, given predominantly to Child and Family Life services – toward Family Center, Activity Centers, Paws for Patients Animal Therapy, Art and Music Therapy, and even Therapeutic Gaming, the latter drawing national attention for its innovation and success. Connect further in Buy & Give: Helping Families with C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.
Buy & Give: Meet Easterseals Miracle League of North Oakland
More than 400 kids with special needs in the Greater Detroit Area can get out in the sunshine and enjoy playing the game of baseball — that’s what Miracle League of North Oakland makes possible. Discover how this Millcraft manager is “clutch”, or a significant player behind the relationship between Easterseals and Millcraft’s Buy & Give program in Buy & Give: Home Fields and High Fives with Easterseals Miracle League.
Millcraft's Detroit team proudly supported Easterseals Miracle League of North Oakland, serving children and adults who suffer from any physical or mental disabilities, which causes them to be excluded, whether intentionally or not, from conventional Baseball leagues. At Easterseals in Auburn Hills, MI, the team gathered to present their check. Among the attendees, from left to right, Matt Freed, Director of Stores; Emily Simon, Print Specialist; Julie Sattler, Vice President, Regional Manager; Brent Wirth, President & CEO Easterseals MORC; Todd Mickles, Account Manager; and Easterseals staff.
Buy & Give: Meet Nationwide Children’s Hospital
On Our Sleeves, the Movement for Children’s Mental Health powered by experts at Nationwide Children’s Hospital furthers its critical mission to provide kids and families in every community in America with access to free, evidence-informed resources necessary for breaking stigmas around children’s mental health and educating advocates. Find “How to Help Kids Manage Anxiety”, “Do’s and Don’ts When Talking About Mental Health” and more information in Buy & Give: Supporting Children’s Mental Health with On Our Sleeves® and Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Millcraft's Columbus team proudly supported Nationwide Children's Hospital, one of the largest and most comprehensive pediatric hospitals and research institutes in the United States. At Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH, the team gathered to present their check. Among the attendees, from left to right, Kathy Hickman, Associate Director of Corporate Partnerships; Bella Pardi, Sales Trainee; Jake Fleming, Customer Service Representative; Cindy Toner, Customer Service Representative; Trisha Thompson, Customer Service Representative; Griffin Sattler, Account Manager; Shellie Schweizer, Customer Service Representative; and Morgen Spon, Director of Development.
Buy & Give: Meet Hospice of Cincinnati
Creating meaningful impact through compassion, care, and copy paper, read Buy & Give: Honoring Community with Hospice of Cincinnati. Discover how Hospice of Cincinnati ensures specialized care that reaches seven counties wide, and provides grief support to individuals, children, teens, and families for up to 13 months – regardless of whether the loved one passed in the care of Hospice of Cincinnati or not. 
Millcraft's Cincinnati team proudly supported Hospice of Cincinnati, creating the best possible and most meaningful advanced illness and end-of-life experiences. At Hospice of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, OH, the team gathered to present their check. Among the attendees, from left to right, Jordan Smith, Account Manager; Victor Munafo, Account Manager; Gayle Mattson, President, CEO of Hospice of Cincinnati; Debbi Swift, Customer Service Representative; Trisha Reverman, Account Sales; and Michael Davoran, Vice President, Regional Manager.
Buy & Give: Coming Soon!
Millcraft is excited to introduce you to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee – Millcraft’s newest Buy & Give recipient and addition this year. Look forward to meeting this charitable organization further into the New Year.
“Being able to contribute in a modest yet significant way to these remarkable organizations is a source of collective pride for all of us," Mlakar says. “Our entire Millcraft team is dedicated to supporting the Buy & Give cause.“
Millcraft's Nashville team proudly supported Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, one of the nation’s leading children’s hospitals. At Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, TN, the team gathered to present their check. Among the attendees, from left to right, Creg Crouch, Account Manager; Steve Dennis, Account Manager; Kim Cronk, Marketing Manager; Courtney Enser, Vice President of Sales; Jim Hollender, COO of Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt; Kelsey Abernathy, Customer Service Representative; Conal Demian, Account Manager; Tracy Hale, Operations Manager; and Ron Dennis, Account Manager.
By: Jen W. O’Deay
To learn more about the Buy & Give program in your community, Just ask.