If you visit Wheelhouse’s booth at a tradeshow, you will see a clear box resting prominently in front of the team. A sign above it says, “Drop your business card to support the American Cancer Society.” Elsewhere on the sign, it explains that with no financial investment on your part, Wheelhouse donates one dollar to the American Cancer Society for each business card.
Why does Wheelhouse do this?
Core to the foundation of Wheelhouse is reshaping cancer’s impact on our lives. Their intent is straightforward: let’s talk about cancer. Ben Frank, co-founder and CEO, and Sally Eggleston, co-founder and COO, had an idea to disrupt what’s considered “normal” at tradeshows.
“Sally and I were standing at our booth at one of our first HR conferences and noticed all of the wasted ‘swag’,” Ben shares, “and [we] couldn’t help but wonder how much money was spent on this junk. That’s where we got the idea to shift that spending to a good cause.”
Wheelhouse wants its actions to match the commitments made to the employers and the covered lives that they serve. “By donating money to cancer research and support organizations, we’re creating mutual value for anyone that wants to talk about cancer,” Ben says. “Every person that stops by the booth helps us further our mission.”
Announcing the 2022 Donation
As of August 2022, business cards accumulated from tradeshows such as SHRM’s 2022 Annual Conference and NAHU’s 2022 Convention impacted the 2022 donation. This year, look for Wheelhouse sponsoring Making Strides Against Breast Cancer – Nashville on October 15, 2022.
“I am one of the lucky ones that is now six years post-diagnosis of breast cancer,” Sally shares. “Breast cancer patients and survivors tend to band together, whether intentionally or otherwise. We join support groups, we smile that understanding smile when we notice the lymphedema sleeve, we swim across the pool as fast as we can when we see the prosthetic breast has escaped and discreetly look until we find the owner.”
For Sally and other breast cancer survivors, community cancer events are impactful.
“Events like Making Strides are a bittersweet reminder for all of us that we have to continue to do more. All cancer patients deserve more than what the providers, insurance companies, and health systems can give them,” Sally explains. “They need to get the appropriate care quickly, they need relief from financial toxicity, and they need an emotional support system outside of their family. This is our why… why we support the ACS and why Wheelhouse was created. We have to do more!”
#WheelhouseCares
Simply put, making a donation from tradeshows is a way of saying Wheelhouse cares. This seemingly small act of leaving your business card at Wheelhouse’s booth is a step toward saying “Yes! I care, too.”
The next time you see Wheelhouse at a tradeshow, be sure to stop by to talk about cancer and contribute to changing cancer’s impact.
“We hope people walk away understanding that the Wheelhouse team is the real deal,” Ben shares. “We’re a group of people that will stop at nothing to help cancer patients live better lives.”
