Adults' Giving Program Submissions
February Submissions
February 14 is Valentine’s Day – a day when we tell the people we love that we love them! You may not think much about the role Wilbur-Ellis plays, but we actually have a big hand in making this a special day.
That romantic Valentine’s Day dinner … Connell may have provided some of the ingredients. The long-stemmed roses and bottle of wine … our agriculture businesses helped the grapes reach their full flavor and the flowers grow strong and beautiful. The new puppy given as a special gift … Nutrition will keep her healthy and happy.
So, as we celebrate Valentine’s Day this month, tell us about the best Valentine’s Day you ever had … the most creative ways you can think of to say “I love you” … or just give a shout-out to your Valentine for all the things they do that make them special!
And if Valentine’s Day has another name or is different in your country, we’d love to hear how it’s celebrated there.
For each response the company will make a donation to the Red Cross.
As the month continues, we’ll tell you more about how Valentine’s Day (or the equivalent) is celebrated around the world!
Lori Long, United States (Nutrition)
In my family February 14th gives us two reasons to celebrate....Valentine's Day and my aunt's birthday. We are a close family with lots of love for each other, so it's a day full of candy, cake, hearts, balloons and celebration! :-)
Sze Sze Lee, Malaysia (Connell)
8-12-2020 you lost your love, our dad but don’t worry because you still have us. We cannot meet each other since last year because of Covid-19, but luckily we still can see each other through video call. Mom, we love you and miss you so much...Happy Valentine’s Day!
Kathryn Nix, United States (Nutrition)
This Valentine’s Day was pretty special. Normally this holiday is not a big deal for my husband and me. But this year I wanted to make it special for my son. It was so fun to see him unwrap his gifts sent by our family and read all the new Valentine’s Day/love themed books bought for him. My favorite one is a book that explores how to say I love you in 10 different languages from all over the world!
Adrielle Yeow, Malaysia (Connell)
Valentine's Day in 2012 is one of the most memorable Valentine's Day to me. We randomly walked into a restaurant to have dinner and we ended at Coffee Chemistry which was not very crowded. The ambience was very cozy and the candlelight on the table made it more romantic. The food was good and service was pleasant. To our surprise, the waitress took an instant photo for us as a gift to us for the special day. Back at home, we opened gifts we got for each other. My husband got me a shocking pink colour handbag which I really liked and I got him a watch. He also gave me a Valentine's Day card which has naughty messages inside (blushing!). That was one of those years when we were younger and hotter and before we had a child.
Nick Braden, United States (Nutrition)
Every year Valentine's Day becomes an even more special day in the Braden household. We have 3 daughters ages 12, 9, and 7 and their creativity on saying I love you never ceases to amaze us. Valentine's Day almost ranks as high as Christmas because they love giving and making gifts and cards and making everyone feel special. This year, our girls decided they wanted to make everything homemade vs buying something from the store. They wanted the words in their cards to come from their own hearts. They spent the week ahead of Valentine's Day creating their own cards and love notes. On Sunday, our girls were so excited to exchange valentines that they rushed us into the living room and made us all sit in a circle and go one by one and read each valentine they made personally. Super special moment and one we'll cherish forever.
Becky Schmale, United States (Agribusiness)
Every Valentine’s Day I am fortunate to be able to help my grandsons and daughter, who is an elementary teacher, create Valentine’s boxes for their parties at school. It is a great opportunity to spend quality time with the boys and help them create something to be proud of. Building memories is the best Grandma Valentine’s present.
Stephen Maj, Canada (Nachurs Alpine Solutions)
The most memorable Valentine's Day that my wife Jaki and I ever celebrated was in 2000. At that time, we were in Moscow, Russia, in process of adopting our son Zachary. On February 14th, the adoption was approved. For us, February 14th is FAMILY DAY.
Beatriz Hernandez, United States (Agribusiness)
Valentine's Day is very special for me, in 2021 my husband and I will be celebrating 18 years together! We have a tradition, each year we take turns to see who will create a fun day or weekend (I typically win, lol). Every year, dependent on the time frame, it's either really creative or fancy. The most creative gift I believe has been the birth of our son (born 2/10) and he still hasn't been able to top that! Love is very special in our family and although some think of this day as fabricated, in our home we celebrate our love with a heart shaped pizza and desserts as a family. Happy V-Day all.
Debbie Brannan, United States (Corporate)
I loved that we were provided a link to send e-Valentine cards. Our 4 children (and 4 grandkids) do not live close to us anymore, as they have all sort of spread out. I took the opportunity to send each of our grown children an e-Valentine from my husband & me, to just let them know we love them and are thinking of them.
Marie White, United States (Agribusiness)
Our family doesn't really celebrate Valentine's day. Instead, we use February (heart month) to help spread awareness of Congenital Heart Defects (CHD). My middle child was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), a rare CHD. We celebrate every heart warrior and hope one day there will be a cure.
Karen Carter, United States (Nachurs Alpine Solutions)
When my father was alive, Valentine’s Day was his special holiday to share with the family. He had a rule that the modest gifts that he gave us had to either be red in color or shaped like a heart. Things as simple as a small box of candy shaped like a heart, delicate red earrings, a red flower, or a card. (As you can imagine, this became more and more difficult as we got older since I also have a brother.) He never stopped, and never left my brother out either. When he passed, I continued that tradition for my mom. To this day, I also include my husband and son. It's my little way of honoring my dad.
Laurie Pant, United States (Agribusiness)
For the last 15 years I have been doing 14 days of Valentines for my husband. Each day, starting on the 1st, I do something for my valentine. It might be a favorite candy bar in the lunch I pack for him each morning, a back rub after a hard day, his favorite meal (meatloaf in the shape of a heart), special note telling him how much I respect him and appreciate all that he does for us, or an "I love you more than..." text, shoveling the driveway, etc. He now reminds me on January 30 what time of year it is because he looks forward to this! We will celebrate this year, 9 kids (5th getting married), 8 grandkids and 34 years of marriage, so something must be working :-)
Gerrie Rodewald, United States (Nutrition)
Feb 14, 2020 was a great day for me. I met my future husband's children & his grandchild Ben for the first time. They live in Ft. Riley, Kansas and we had a wonderful visit. This year we are spending it quietly with a nice romantic dinner we will prepare, exchange cards and toast with a sparkling wine we bought on our honeymoon this past September.
WE ARE ONE (HUNDRED)
As part of our 100th anniversary celebration, we launched the Giving Program to help people in need worldwide. In total, the Giving Program raised $52,000 USD for the Red Cross, building on the company’s $100,000 donation in 2020.