#MyPromoStory – McWilliams and Son – Alzheimer’s Awareness

I’d like to share AnyPromo’s exclusive #MyPromoStory. Here’s our first of many!

As our customers share their story, I will be collecting them and sharing them with you.

Today, we’re featuring: Crystal Williams for McWilliams and Son Heating and Air Conditioning.

They held an event on Wednesday, June 21 where the employees of McWilliams and Son Heating and Air Conditioning collected donations for Alzheimer’s Awareness.

To every person who donated, they gave a hamburger lunch…yummmmm!

Probably one of the best ways to promote your company…FOOD. 😉

But most often, not many customers know the background story to why a company chose to raise funds for a specific disease.

I reached out to Crystal Williams to get more information as to why McWilliams and Son Heating and Air Conditioning chose to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s.

It was really touching to communicate with Crystal and get to know her story.

Through their press release, this is what it stated:

“Our family was deeply affected by Alzheimer’s through our Maw Maw Maxey,” says Marketing Director, Crystal Williams, “She was our Maw Maw, our summer sweetheart that loved on us, cooked for us with love and sang little songs for us while we grew up. Our world was turned upside down when she began suffering from debilitating memory loss. I watched my mom spend countless days and hours tending to her with love and patience. We miss our Maw Maw, Armatha, like crazy! We do this for her! She is the reason we have our Purple Van!”

People show love and compassion through these dedicated events.

It’s love that motivates us to create an event in honor of a loved one.

And that’s what Crystal Williams did for her grandmother.

Through McWilliams and Son Heating and Air Conditioning, she and her team planned an event to spread Alzheimer’s awareness.

On top of the hamburgers that McWilliams and Son gave for donations, Crystal Williams also gave AnyPromo’s Large Awareness Ribbon Flexible Magnet.

The ribbon signifies the importance of Alzheimer’s Awareness and the memories of her grandmother.

Crystal shared with me a note of remembrance about her Maw Maw.

I could read the love that was poured in this descriptive note.

Here’s what Crystal wrote:

In Memory of Maw Maw

My Grandmother, Armatha suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and watching its effects on her was an eye opening experience.

I believe that the Lord has a purpose for everything that happens in this world and in our lives but this was hard.  

My Grandmother loved the Lord with her whole heart for her whole life.  

She lived out the ways the bible taught and loved so sweetly and tenderly that she is tremendously missed by all of us.  

My 10 cousins and I, we loved our Maw Maw Maxey.  

See, at Maw Maw’s house you never went hungry.

If she knew we were coming she would always have some of our favorite things cooked lined up on her brown counter tops.  

If we were lucky, she had tea cake dough in the freezer for us.  

Like little drops of heaven, we would devour every single little ball of raw tea cake goodness she had saved and then we still ate those fresh tea cakes she had stored in that brown cookie jar.  

Those tea cakes made her a celebrity in little of Diboll Texas. She would always make them for everything.  

Those tea cakes always had this one defining look that I could easily identify, three finger imprints.  

See, when Maw Maw would make her tea cakes she would sing a little jingle, as we would listen and watch her with the fine particles of flour filling the air as she would pat her fingers into that dough to make a perfectly round delicious cookie with three small finger prints right in the middle.

I can still hear her meek voice singing “and you pat it, you pat it, patty pat pat it” as she made dozens and dozens of tea cakes.

Those three fingers imprints in each cookies spoke more than anything else I remember about my Maw Maw.

Those fingers had hugged and helped 11 little grandchildren and numerous other neighborhood kids grow up, fingers that flipped through the pages of a tattered and used Bible every single day, fingers that held my sweet Paw Paw’s hands for over 50 years, fingers that would clap together and sing to make little babies dance a jig for as long as I can remember.  

Those fingers were also out stretched to Jesus when the Lord called her home.  

It was sad to watch her memory deteriorate and her body grow weak.  

She became confused and easily upset and disoriented as time progressed and the disease ravaged her mind.

We were all so upset to see someone who had so selflessly given of herself to so many other people now have to suffer with this terrible disease.  

But we never lost faith in the Lord because she taught us better.

Even when her mind and body were riddled with Alzheimer’s, she never gave up her seat on the pew at church.

I remember the Christmas celebrations full of homemade Christmas candy and delicious Thanksgiving meals full of family.  

She would sit on this white stool in her kitchen and talk with us, laugh with us and just love us.  

McWilliams and Son chose Alzheimer’s Awareness because of our Maw Maw.  

Because she was our light, our sweetness and our tea cake maker.  

She is our muse, our purpose for fighting for a cure for Alzheimer’s.

We remember the good times before the disease.

I remember her by the quaint Christmas tree in her living room or standing at the stove with a wooden spoon.

I remember what her Bible cover looked like and that worn out blue bible that my Mama gave her as a gift for watching me and my sister and brother all summer while my mom went to college.

I was 8 years old that summer and Maw Maw’s house was one of my favorite places to be.

Now, We “go purple” for Maw Maw.  

I thank the Lord every day for memories.  Sweet, sweet Memories.”

You can check out this video to see how her event went.

Once I watched the video, I couldn’t help realize the unity from this event.

Thank you Crystal for sharing your story with me!

Here at Anypromo, we want to learn as much as we can about our customers! We want to know your story behind your promotional products.

If you have a story to share, click here.

One of our team members, including myself, will be contacting you to read more about your event!

Stories like Crystal’s motivate us to continue striving to make each promotional product as perfect as it can be.

Here were some of the items featured at Crystal’s event:

Custom Budget Koozie Can Kooler

https://www.anypromo.com/mugs-drinkware/koozie-can-coolers/custom-budget-koozie-can-kooler-p643174

With an outdoor event, the Koozie Can Kooler is a must have. Raise awareness with the color of your choice. Crystal used purple to match Alzheimer’s Awareness. We also have lime green for lymphoma awareness, pink for breast cancer awareness, red for HIV/Aids and many more other color options. These Koozie Can Koolers could represent any event theme!

Full Color Round Safety Pin Back Button- 2″ Diameter

https://www.anypromo.com/trade-show-events/buttons/full-color-round-safety-pin-back-button-2-diameter-p649861

When creating an event like this, buttons are a must have. Buttons help expand your target audience once your customers leave your event. As they are wearing your buttons, many people unaware of your event will learn all about it. This button has a 4 color process imprint, so your awareness event information could easily be placed on this button.

Large Awareness Ribbon Flexible Magnet

Awareness Ribbon Magnet

Lastly, the ribbon that helps make the awareness event special. You can see these ribbons everywhere, especially on cars! Crystal placed “Alzheimer’s Awareness” on the longer side of the ribbon, and her company name on the short ribbon. She said the ribbons were a huge hit and everyone loved them. Our Large Awareness Ribbon Flexible Magnet is at an affordable price for all great causes!

Other promotional items for similar events:

Very Kool Cooling Towel

https://www.anypromo.com/outdoor-leisure/sports-equipment/very-kool-cooling-towel-p736011

Our Very Kool Cooling Towel is on out “Top 100” because of its popularity. I know I love having one of these by my side because of how easy it is to active the “Cool” feature on this towel. It works like magic! We have many cooling towels in different color options for any awareness event. If it’s a hot day at your event, this cooling towel will definitely run out shortly!

Custom Non Woven Standard Tote Bag 16″ X 12″

https://www.anypromo.com/bags-luggage/tote-bags/custom-non-woven-standard-tote-bag-16-x-12-p672031

Bundles are also very popular with customers! If you give them many small items as a token of appreciation, then many customers will want one of these bundle bags. Tote bags could also be used to place informational packets inside to motivate your customer to learn about the awareness of a certain cause. We have a variety of color options to match certain causes!

Malibu Sunglasses

https://www.anypromo.com/outdoor-leisure/sunglasses-straps/malibu-sunglasses-p676449

Sunglasses are also a top promotional item for ANY event. I like to believe that anything your customer can wear will expand your marketing purpose. You never know if some customers will continue to wear these sunglasses after your event. Sunglasses are one of the many items that customers love to use after the event.

Portable Usb Charger With Multiple Color Options

https://www.anypromo.com/technology/smartphone-accessories/portable-charger-p717828

Want to attract the average millennial to support your cause? Get them with technology! Since most millennials always have their phone at their side, then they’ll definitely want a phone charger to help keep their phone alive. 41% of millennials have recently taken concrete action (protested in a march, volunteered on a campaign, canvassed a neighborhood for signatures) on an issue that is important to them. You never know if your event may be very important for a millennial to take action!

 Single Color Silicone Bracelet

https://www.anypromo.com/watches-jewelry/bracelets/single-color-silicone-bracelet-p709637

Lastly, these bracelets are always going to be in with the younger audience. If there’s one product I know that many young customers still wear, it’s silicone bracelets. As I was growing up, I saw these more as a collectible item. Now, I see many teens wear these as a trend. They are popular all over the world! These bracelets are known to spread awareness!

So If you’re planning an event like Crystal’s…

I can guarantee you that you’ll have many supporters.

People want to help, they want to help make a difference! Especially if they know someone dear to them that’s suffering from the same disease.

There are more than 200 National Health Observances in the United States. Although, The U.S. Department of Health and Services do not list the unofficial ones.

That means many people are supporting events for more than 200 of the listed National Health Observances.

Imagine all the people taking action?

Awareness is about sending a message to your audience and getting them to talk about the issue.

With informational packets and promotional products, you’re not just sharing the name of your event, but you’re promoting your customers to talk about it.

Whether it’s at home with family or at a public restaurant with friends, talking helps raise awareness.

Have you hosted an event like Crystal’s before?

About Tanya V 42 Articles
Tanya doesn't like to write much about herself, because she's still figuring herself out. Although, if she is to pick a vegetable that describes her it would be an onion. Peel away the layers and she can make you cry...from laughter, that is. Actually maybe she's not an onion, because she smells wonderfully. So yea, she's still figuring herself out. ✌

2 Comments

  1. It’s pretty powerful to see such an example of community building out of compassion for others. I think Maw Maw Armatha would have been really proud to see this.

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