hard not to like the home team; and the employees of Murphy Company like their hockey. Both the St. Louis Blues and the Colorado Avalanche did pretty well in the 2018 NHL season, and to add some fun, and inter-office competition, the mechanical contractor decided to bring the rivalry off the ice and into the office. With a play on words, the Murphy Company “Off-Ice” Charity Challenge was born!
Each office would raise money for their local charities. The St. Louis office would raise money for Make-A-Wish Missouri, and the Denver office would raise money for Mount Saint Vincent. Murphy Company is deeply involved in the communities they serve, and is no stranger to philanthropic efforts in either city. It also is known that their employees often try to outdo each other in fundraising and volunteer efforts. With a donation of $5, an employee could don his or her Avs or Blues gear on game day, February 8th. To spice up the competition even more, two of the company’s senior vice presidents, Mark Bengard (St. Louis) and Mike Knapp (Denver) agreed that they would match the donations of the office whose team won the hockey game. So, if the Blues won, Mike would have to match the donations of the St. Louis office, and if the Avs won, Mark would match the donations of the Denver office.
Donations flowed into both offices from February 1st through the 8th, and then everyone waited in anticipation to see which team would reign supreme. That night, the St. Louis Blues beat the Colorado Avalanche, 6-1.
The St. Louis office raised a total of $620, and with the Blues win the night before, Mike Knapp matched St. Louis’s donations and added in $30 of his own for a total of $1,270 raised for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Although the Avs loss, that did not stop the Denver office from raising big for Mount Saint Vincent. They raised $675 for their charity, and Mark Bengard still matched their donations despite the big Blues win! Ultimately, Murphy Company raised $2,620 in their first Off-Ice Charity Challenge, and in the words of President and CEO Pat Murphy, “The kids are the winners here!”
Murphy also was a winner of some delicious, celebratory treats! The St. Louis office had a tower of hockey pucks made of Hostess Chocolate Ding-Dongs, and Denver had a platter of hockey, Murphy, and Avalanche themed cookies created by Mary Richmond, owner of The Cookie Sheet in Loveland, CO, and relative of one of Denver’s project managers. The company wants to thank everyone for their spirited generosity and friendly competition for this event!
Murphy also was a winner of some delicious, celebratory treats! The St. Louis office had a tower of hockey pucks made of Hostess Chocolate Ding-Dongs, and Denver had a platter of hockey, Murphy, and Avalanche themed cookies created by Mary Richmond, owner of The Cookie Sheet in Loveland, CO, and relative of one of Denver’s project managers. The company wants to thank everyone for their spirited generosity and friendly competition for this event!
