Our first Small Business Story comes to us from DeEtte Bailey of Gifts & Things in Holdrege, Nebraska. What makes DeEtte’s story so amazing is how she and her team grew a sales rep’s idea into a united, community movement to show appreciation for their area’s first responders, medical personnel and nursing home residents.
From DeEtte:
It started about a month before when one of my sales reps, Ganz Midwest CBK – Peg Carlson shared an idea with me from another gift shop in another state. They were selling de-stressing bags to give to healthcare workers in their community. The wheels started to turn, so I shared the idea with David, Morgan and Christi, and the brain-storming began. The idea turned into Blessings Bags, and this is where it all started . . .
Our first goal was to create 620 bags to go to the local hospital, medical clinics and nursing homes. David and I started making phone calls (we didn’t want to advertise the project as we wanted this to be a surprise for all of our essential workers), and the response was overwhelming from both businesses and individuals wanting to sponsor the bags, and the project just kept growing. To support other, locally-owned, small businesses in Holdrege, we purchased and included items from four area businesses: Hilsabeck Sporting Goods Co. | The 308 Boutique | Stephanie’s and Sun Theatre.
This is when the real work began: organizing and assembling all of the bags! We had no idea how many healthcare and frontline workers were in Holdrege. 810! WOW, and YES ~ we learned a lot! We could not have accomplished this without our employees, some of our former employees, and of course, my mom and dad.
With each Blessings Bag a hand-written card was attached with the name of the business or individual who sponsored it. On May 1st, we delivered 810 Blessings Bags to ALL of the employees at the following: Phelps Memorial Health Center, Phelps Medical Group, Phelps Memorial Therapy Center, Family Medical Specialties, Holdrege VA Clinic, Holdrege Memorial Homes, Christian Homes Care Community, Ruralmed Management Resources, Two Rivers Public Health Department, Holdrege Pharmacy, Fulmer U-Save Pharmacy, the Holdrege Housing Authority, the Holdrege Volunteer Fire & Rescue SQD, the Holdrege Police Department the Phelps County Sheriff’s Office, and the Nebraska State Patrol (Holdrege).
We want to say a HUGE MEGA THANK YOU to all of the businesses and individuals who sponsored each and every bag. Without you, we would not have been able to show our essential workers how much we appreciate all they do for OUR Community! So much of their work is done behind the scenes and goes unnoticed.
Also a BIG shout-out to The Holdrege Police Department for the Police Escort to two of our biggest deliveries: Phelps Memorial Health Center and Holdrege Memorial Homes! And we can’t forget Brian Gnuse from NTV, thank you for following us all over Holdrege.
DeEtte Bailey, Gift & Things
505 West Ave., Holdrege, NE 68949
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