Account Rep Manny Pinho has a heart for children, particularly at Christmastime.
As a young boy growing up in Naugatuck, Connecticut, his family didn’t have a lot of extra cash for Christmas gifts. However, thanks to the company where his parents worked, he always had at least one. “Every year, their company rented out a local movie theatre, let the children enjoy a movie, and then afterward, Santa would pass out gifts,” explained Manny. “Some years, that would be the only present I would receive,” he added.
Their generosity clearly made a deep impression on him.
Over 40 years later, Manny worked with Connecticut Partnership for Children, Inc. to recreate this “Movie Night with Santa,” but decided to expand on the idea to include children with obstacles getting to the event. “For children with homebound limitations, we created the ‘Santa Express,’ where we bring Santa and Mrs. Claus to their home with a gift just for them,” Manny says. What he doesn’t share is that he serves as their elf helper!
While he starts planning the event as early as August, Manny says the smiles on the faces of hundreds of local children brings back such happy memories and makes all of the hard work worthwhile. In fact, in just the past two years that he has held this event, Manny estimates that they have helped over 450 local children and have helped raise over $34,000 for Connecticut Partnership for Children.
“I believe the greatest gift any one person can give is love that can be shared with others,” Manny states.
And we are grateful to have someone with as big of a heart as Manny on our team.