Envista Credit Union is pleased to announce that it will highlight the Lawrence Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade through the EnvistaCares Challenge during the month of November
Envista is challenging the community to give to the Lawrence Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade, and for every dollar given to the organization during the month of November, Envista will match up to $2,500. Giving can be done online at envistacares.com.
Envista will provide the Lawrence Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade with a media package that includes emails, social media and radio. In addition, Envista has added the creation of a personalized video to the package of benefits to help the Lawrence Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade share their message and encourage members of the community to not only give, but to join in and consider becoming a partner.
“On the first Saturday in December, a caravan of rigs pulled by horses of all sizes, mules and donkeys adorned with garland, ribbons and jingle bells impatiently await the start of the Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade in downtown Lawrence. With more than 50 entries from all over the Midwest and an array of horse and mule breeds, from gentle giants to miniature ponies, this event is truly unique,” said Marty Kennedy, President of the Lawrence Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade. “We would not be able to have the Lawrence Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade without contributions from businesses and individuals.”
“The Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade is a tradition that brings us a dose of nostalgia throughout the year. The parade brings all walks of life together to celebrate a tradition that has been going on for 28 years. I have been a volunteer on the committee for 10 years and I am proud to be a part of such an amazing organization and tradition. The lasting friendships that have come from this event have made an impact on my life,” said Ron Jones, AVP of Indirect Lending for Envista and Lawrence Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade committee member. With Envista highlighting this organization in November, it will bring awareness to people who may not know of the parade or on-going tradition. Hopefully this will help bring more attention, more parade entries and more donations to keep the tradition going for years to come.”
What began in 1993 as one man’s idea to gather friends and spotlight the historic Eldridge Hotel in downtown Lawrence has grown to a nationally recognized all horse power event to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season. From a humble beginning of 21 horse-drawn entries, the parade has hosted as many as 70 horse-powered vehicles paying tribute to the contribution of the group’s horse transportation heritage.
The parade is managed by a group of Lawrence citizens and dedicated volunteers who spend many hours each year to organize, prepare accommodations, extend our hospitality and ensure the safety of both entrants and spectators.
The Lawrence Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade is all about memories, those from the past and hopefully creating new ones. The goal is to take people back to a previous time, a simpler in some ways, but certainly more difficult in others; horses made so many things possible in the past and continue to do so. Horses teach people so much about life; it’s not what’s in it for you, but what you have to give that yields the greatest rewards.
Envista Credit Union is a full-service financial institution established in 1957 to help members achieve their financial goals by providing quality products and services. Envista currently has more than $470 million in assets and serves more than 44,000 Kansans with offices in Topeka, Lawrence and Hutchinson. For more information visit envistacares.com.
