From Destruction to Hope – DLT Solutions and NetApp Support Red Cross Efforts for Joplin, MO

On May 22, 2011 a tragic event occurred in the small town of Joplin, Missouri, with an incredible and lasting impact. With little prior warning before touching down, a powerful tornado ripped through the region, leaving hundreds dead, and thousands with nothing to call their own. Houses, schools and businesses were leveled to the ground, belongings of all sizes and shapes were swept away into a cycling fury and residents of Joplin were left searching for aid in the form of basic necessities. Well Joplin, Missouri, aid is coming from over 1,000 miles away! DLT Solutions, partnering with a campaign led by the NetApp Vienna office, hope to deliver thousands of pounds of supplies to the area on July 1st. The NetApp office reached out to DLT, a NetApp value-added reseller, to help them reach their goal, by placing donation bins around the DLT office. DLT has already been involved with many philanthropic events through the DLT foundation, such as local Martha’s Table, and was ready and willing to lend a hand.  Supplies that the Red Cross noted as being crucial were bottled water, toothpaste and toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo, bars of soap, diapers, baby wipes, disposable or rubber gloves, tissues, toilet paper, paper towels, hand sanitizer, flashlights and batteries. Motivated by not only the stories of devastation, but an additional incentive for the company to close 3 hours early if they reached their 200 lb. goal, employees from all divisions rallied together to blow that goal out of the water. Employees not only went out and bought supplies, but also donated generous amounts of money to be used for a “Costco run” to purchase the final and crucial necessities. With nearly $250 in hand, VP of Marketing, Christine Schaefer, along with Marketing Interns Lily Goodson and Kelsey Weber, went to the local Costco warehouse with a clear goal in mind. Purchasing everything from bulk packs of diapers and batteries to giant bottles of shampoo and over 2,700 plastic gloves and various sanitizing supplies, they left Costco happy, successful and well past their 200 lb. goal. DLT Solutions collected at total of 794 lbs. of supplies! Shawn Bevan, Channel Development Manager at NetApp, was floored to see all of the supplies when he picked them up at the DLT office in Herndon. On July 1st at the crack of dawn, Adam Mellor, an Account Manager with NetApp, will don his finest trucker hat and drive a 24’ box truck 18 hours to the Red Cross center in Joplin, MO.  All in time for the 4th of July! Congratulations to both DLT Solutions and NetApp for this incredible feat, I am sure the people of Joplin will be very happy to see this truck rolling through.