4 January 2024
Margo Lestz
Head of Communications
We also donate to various organisations and charities. The thread of generosity runs throughout the company from the CEO, through the Field Support Centre, and to our representatives. Genistar just seems to attract people who want to help others.
Below we’ve highlighted a few of the recent charitable initiatives supported by Genistar: some were at a company level, some were sponsored by teams within the company, and others were efforts by individual representatives.
Genistar donation to Centrepoint
In October 2021, our CEO, Jeff Lestz announced that his birthday wish was to raise money for charity. He chose Centrepoint, a UK charity dedicated to helping homeless young people have a brighter future. He invited the entire company to join him in raising funds.
This charity is close to Jeff’s heart because he experienced homelessness himself as a teenager. Jeff set up a JustGiving page so all Genistar members could contribute. Then he announced that he and his wife, Margo would be personally matching the total amount raised, up to £10,000.
The entire company pulled together, and everyone got in on the act. Our Field Support Centre had two bake sales, and two Chilli Challenges where members of the team ate burning-hot chillies in return for donations. Then at our conference, we held an auction of donated items.
We raised more than £10,000 (and had fun in the process), then Jeff and Margo Lestz matched funds to bring it up to £22,562.56.
The funds were transferred to Centrepoint in December. However, Jeff met with the director of fundraising in March to present a large symbolic cheque for £22,562.56. This donation will help more than 100 young people get off the street, get counselling and provide them with accommodation for an entire year. We are so proud that our Genistar teams, friends, and family were able to raise so much money for this fantastic charity. All funds go to helping homeless young people gain accommodation, education, and training.
Charity for Young Women in Botswana
Sometimes people join Genistar with the intention of being charitable. When Tshepho Sempheng joined Genistar in February 2021, her goal was to earn an extra income to support her charity work in Botswana (Kamogelo House of Hope, for young women with complex support needs). By saving her Genistar income, she was able to ship them a 20- ft container of much-needed supplies.
2-Way Radios for Filipino School Children
During lockdown, a remote school in Philippines, San Antonio Elementary School had a problem: The children couldn’t attend school, neither did they have access to the internet. This was symbolic of the many other schools in less privileged parts of the world who could not afford online classes.
The solution that San Antonio Elementary School sought was two-way radios, but they had only 7 sets to rotate among 158 students and their teachers. Genistar’s Eagles Team (led by Arvin and Genevieve Burgos) were touched by their plight. Many on the Eagles team are from the Philippines and have family members there. They had parties and fundraisers and raised enough to purchase 250 radios and 3 booster antennas – enough for every child to be able to keep up with their schoolwork.
CEO’s Book Being Taught in His Former High School
Our CEO, Jeff Lestz, was orphaned at a very young age. In his memoir, Against All Odds, he reveals intimate details of his life struggles that made him a success. As a troubled teenager, he moved from the city of Chicago to Elkville, a small town in Southern Illinois, where his life began to turn around. He remembered the town and his former high school when he published his book about his life story. He donated copies to the local library and to the high school. The school is now using his book to teach lessons about overcoming adversity. He hopes his life story will inspire others to not give up when things are tough.
You can access the full story here.
Budget for Charity
You don’t have to have a large amount of money set aside to be able to make a difference. One of the budgeting strategies that we teach is the 10-10-10-70 Method. It shows you how to set aside 10% of your income for charitable causes. To learn more about it, click here.
We are proud of everyone on our Genistar team and the thread of generosity that runs through our company. You can read more on our We Care page.
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