Career Step to Donate to the Sunshine Heroes Foundation and Mac’s Gift Children’s Cancer Foundation

Provo, UT, January 22, 2014 --(PR.com)-- Career Step, an online provider of career-focused education and corporate training, is pleased to announce that through the efforts of its approximately 100 employees the company will be donating $2,000 each to the Sunshine Heroes Foundation—formerly Little Heroes—and Mac’s Gift Children’s Cancer Foundation—formerly the Children with Cancer Christmas Foundation. The donations were earned by employees on a per mile basis as they participated in Career Step’s Work Out Wednesday wellness initiative.

"We have a phenomenal team here at Career Step,” said CEO Steve Tober. “We started our Work Out Wednesday initiative this past summer as a way to encourage employees to get out of the office, enjoy our beautiful surroundings here in Utah and build stronger relationships with each other. When we decided to add a charitable component to our wellness program, there was tremendous enthusiasm and support from our team—it made our initiative that much more meaningful as we all worked toward a greater goal together.”

The Work Out Wednesday initiative encouraged employees to participate by walking, running or biking as part of their work day one to two Wednesdays a month. Employees participated in groups during their lunch hour and then all of the groups came together to enjoy lunch afterward. Employees reported their miles, which equated to a certain dollar amounts per mile traveled. From May to October, Career Step employees put in over 2,000 miles.

Throughout the summer, employees nominated charities for a year-end donation once all the miles were tallied. The goal was to run, bike or walk enough miles to make a meaningful contribution to both a local and a national charity. After the last outdoor activity in October, the mile count was closed and employees voted on the charities. The total mile count and selected charities were announced at Career Step’s holiday party—when CEO Steve Tober announced that the company would also match the total amount, making a $2,000 contribution to each charity possible.

“Our mission at Career Step really revolves around making a difference—in the lives of our students, in the lives of our employees, and in the community we live in,” said Allen Miller, the Career Step executive over People Strategy. “Work Out Wednesday has become another way we live that mission. We are thrilled with the results of 2013’s initiative and look forward to seeing what we can achieve together in 2014.”

Originally Little Heroes, the Sunshine Heroes Foundation was founded in 2007 when Travis and LaRee Hansen began working on improving the living conditions of a children’s hospital in Moscow, Russia by remodeling part of the hospital, providing operations for children and organizing volunteers to hold, feed and play with the children. The organization has since expanded its focus to improving the mental and physical well being of children throughout the world. In November of 2013, the foundation’s name was changed to the Sunshine Heroes Foundation.

Mac’s Gift Children’s Cancer Foundation is based in Provo, Utah, and was founded on the idea that children struggling with cancer are especially worthy of protection and care. The foundation provides Christmas gifts for children battling cancer as well as their families in an effort to alleviate the added pressure the holidays can place on these already stressed families. The gifts are distributed through a two night event that allows parents to select gifts for their families one night and enjoy a party with their children, Santa Claus, and the Brigham Young University basketball team the next night.

For more information on Career Step’s mission, career training programs, or open positions, visit CareerStep.com or call 1-800-246-7837.

About Career Step
Career Step, an online provider of career-focused education and corporate training, has trained over 85,000 students, has more than 150 partnerships with colleges and universities nationwide, and provides training for some of the most respected healthcare employers in the nation. Career Step is committed to helping students and corporate employees alike gain the skills they need to be successful in the workplace, improving lives and business results through education. The institution's training programs are currently focused in healthcare, technology and administration, and more information can be found at www.careerstep.com or 1-800-246-7836.