Carrington Charitable Foundation's "Boxes for Our Troops Challenge" inspires friendly competition to benefit active U.S. servicemembers

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Sept. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its ongoing commitment to supporting U.S. military men and women, Carrington Charitable Foundation (CCF), the nonprofit organization of The Carrington Companies, conducted its annual Boxes for Our Troops Challenge, collecting 2,090 care packages for active duty service members deployed around the world.

The annual event was created in 2013 as a way for Carrington Associates across the country, some of whom are Veterans, to personally honor and show their appreciation for the servicemen and women currently serving our country.

"Every year, Boxes for Our Troops gives Carrington Associates a welcome opportunity to rally together ? as a team or individually ? and create care packages filled with basic supplies, other personal items and notes, to show we're thinking of our servicemembers," said Shelly Lawrence, executive director of Community Relations, Carrington Charitable Foundation. "Wherever our active military is serving the cause of freedom, we want them to know we care."

All nine major Carrington office locations participated in the Boxes for Our Troops challenge, generously donating many thousands of dollars' worth of items, then wrapping, packing and shipping the boxes to servicemen and women serving on land and at sea. Gift box contents ranged from snack foods, breakfast items and bath and hygiene products to board games, footballs and a variety of reading materials. Some boxes were decorated with personal sentiments and themes and included thank you notes and photos of the Carrington team that put it together.

"Boxes for Our Troops is a great opportunity for our team to deliver little reminders of home to our Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen deployed overseas," said Ryan Dranginis, senior vice president, Marketing and Customer Success for Carrington in Aliso Viejo, Calif., who rallied Connects Associates to pack and donate 349 boxes to this initiative. In 2003, as a Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Captain Dranginis received a box with a copy of Surfer magazine, some hot sauce and great letters expressing support from schoolchildren back home. "We are proud to be part of this program," he says, "and hope the boxes delivered also deliver a few smiles to the troops!"

Working with a team of one, Robert Fluty, a loan officer in the Carrington Mortgage Services retail branch in Fresno, Calif., placed donation boxes in 12 locations around town to raise nearly $900 in donations ? then used the funds to purchase items and fill boxes for the troops.

"I love the work we do at Carrington for Veterans," said Fluty. "This was a great opportunity to do something for active servicemembers, and the Fresno real estate community really got behind it. We were able to fill 135 boxes, enough for an entire unit."

The Carrington Charitable Foundation is dedicated to supporting nonprofit organizations and communities across the United States through a variety of causes that are important to Carrington Associates and leaders. CCF carries out The Carrington Companies mission of charitable giving and improving lives through financial contributions, fundraising events, volunteerism and its Signature Programs that focus on helping military Veterans by providing Mobility, Stability, Purpose and Prosperity. Since 2011, proceeds from the Carrington Charitable Foundation Golf Classic have directly supported CCF's Signature Programs, providing diverse ongoing assistance to Veterans and their families. To date, the annual event has raised more than $16 million to support Veterans returning from post- 9/11 battlefields. In 2015, 2016 and 2017, the Orange County Business Journal named the CCF Golf Classic the Top Netting Golf Event in Orange County. For more information about CCF and its Signature Programs, visit carringtoncf.org. For more information about The Carrington Companies, visit: www.carringtonhc.com.

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SOURCE Carrington Charitable Foundation