Q&A for Matt Clements, Enmarket

With a goal of $100,000, Enmarket and Enmark locations will offer customers the opportunity to purchase paper icons in support of Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s fundraiser, Light the Night Walk.  The paper icons, which can be personalized with the donor’s name, can be purchased for $1 from April 27-May 31, and the icons will be displayed inside the stores. 

Matt Clements, Director of Marketing for enmarket, explains why the company is so dedicated to support LLS’s mission to cure blood cancer and those affected by the disease.

Enmarket has set what they call an aggressive goal to raise $100,000 to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk. Is that the largest fundraising goal to date? How much fundraising has enmarket done in the past?

“Yes, this is our largest. Last year, we raised just over $90,000, and in 2014, it was just over $76,000.”

Why is raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society so important to enmarket?

“This is an important charity for us because the organization is focused on finding cures and ensuring access to treatments for blood cancer patients. They are making huge strides with research despite dwindling federal funding. Private funding is critical to allow LLS to continue their mission.

“On another personal level, the mission of LLS hits home for us here at enmarket. Houstoun Demere, our VP and General Manager, lost his mother to leukemia when he was 6 years old and his sister was 8. We feel honored to have found a way to honor her memory while fundraising for research to fight all kinds of blood cancer.”

How will the fundraising work and how can people in the community get involved to help?

“Anyone can donate simply by stopping by any enmarket or Enmark location and contributing a dollar or whatever amount they are comfortable with. In addition to the paper icons sales, four of our stores will hold Full-Service Fridays. A Full-Service Friday allows customers to pull into the store, and members of the enmarket management team will be serving customers right at the pumps.

“We have set the following dates and locations: April 29 at 14000 Abercorn St. in Savannah; May 6 at 221 Bobby Jones Expressway in Augusta; May 13 at 2461 Charleston Highway in Aiken, S.C.; May 20 at 3098 Watson Blvd in Warner Robins, Ga.; and May 27 at 6188 Highway 21 South in Rincon, Ga.”

The Full-Service Fridays sound like fun. Where did enmarket come up with the idea and how will those events work?

“Full Service Fridays were started as a means to increase awareness of our fundraising through involvement of our management team. Every Friday afternoon in May, staff members from enmarket’s corporate office, and from all over the region, will gather at a store. We pump fuel for our customers, wash windows and have conversations with drivers to let them know what LLS is doing and how they can help the cause. 

“Our team also provides hot dogs and car wash certificates for a minimal donation. We have a radio station come out, too. Altogether, this event is a way to have fun while helping to enrich life.”

Have you participated in the Light the Night Walks in the past? If so, what are some of the highlights that come to mind when you think about those events?

“We have participated in Light the Night walks over the last few years. We’ve been touched by the stories from survivors as well as the stories from those who have lost someone to cancer. It is overwhelming to see the number of people who have been touched by the disease in this city in some way, and very heartening to know that everyone is willing to take time out of their life to gather together to raise awareness for LLS. The march through downtown with all of the lanterns is beautiful sight.”

Savannah’s Light the Night Walk will take place Oct. 14 in Forsyth Park. For more information, go to lightthenight.org/ga or call 912-436-3280.