Kyle Briner, an employee at HHM CPAs here in Chattanooga, wants to give kids and seniors the same kinds of great Christmases he had growing up. Enter: Chattanooga Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, which the HHM team now annually raises money for (thanks to Kyle) through the Run with Reason initiative.

Since its inception in 2018, the annual run/walk portion of Run with Reason has raised over $50,000 to support more than 400 Angel Tree families. HHM then takes 100% of the money raised from the run + designates a shopping day for purchasing all the angels’ gifts. Last year, they shopped for 170+ kids in ~3 hours — and bought so much they needed a box truck to load up all the toys. 🎁

This year, we got to tag along as HHM employees shopped for 100 Chattanooga + Cleveland-based children at the Signal Mountain Walmart Supercenter to give local families a Christmas to remember. Click below for a heartwarming, behind-the-scenes look into the shopping day + to learn how you can support Run with Reason.

What we tried:

Brianna here, and I was fortunate enough to join the HHM employees as they shopped for 100 children ages 0-12 this year. The employees were given a child’s name, age, sizing, and their top needs + biggest wish. It was so heartwarming to see how much effort the employees put into shopping for each child — for instance, one child’s biggest wish was a Power Ranger, and Noah, the employee shopping for him, searched the entire store until he found one.

It’s so meaningful to know that these children will not only be getting gifts this Christmas, but that each one was carefully and thoughtfully selected just for them.

What we’re still talking about:

We asked Kyle how HHM has supported his passion for this philanthropic cause, and he told us that the company has been instrumental since day one. “They believed in the vision — which got it off the ground, and they’ve allowed HHM employees to be excused from work to shop. It’s a great bonding experience for our staff members. They have also supported monetarily, which has contributed to our success greatly.”

The firm also recently hosted a Thanksgiving meal basket drive, providing meals to 255 local families through six organizations. Like Run With Reason, HHM supported one of its employees who had a vision to help the community: staff accountant Catelyn Millaway. 👏

How you can experience this:

This year’s Run with Reason took place on Nov. 13, but you can start planning for next year. Community members can also choose to sponsor a runner or donate directly to support the initiative.

Businesses can get in on the fun, too. In Kyle’s words: “As businesses continue to grow, it is important to be involved in events like this that help build relationships. Businesses know exactly what their money is going, and we get to tangibly spend it in real time — which is even better.”

Learn more about adopting an angel this holiday season here.

Things to know:

Experience: HHM CPAs Run with Reason initiative
Website: https://www.csarmy.org/runwithreason

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