Giving Back

PLS has given more than $400,000 back to the community with a commitment to return >1% of the top line every year.

Stories

Angela called at Christmas asking for assistance with bills – within weeks, she had given birth to twins and had taken in her sister's three children after she passed away from cancer and the children's father left. Angela and her family were able to have a wonderful Christmas and pay their utilities thanks to PLS's generous support of outreach to her family.

A young teenage girl came home from school crying – upon investigation, her mother learned she was upset about how a classmate was being treated: The classmate came from a poor family and had worn, non-trendy clothes and was a constant target for harassment. The mother asked for $200 from a fund PLS keeps with a local church – the teen took her classmate shopping and outfitted her with clothes that stopped the bullying.

A family was about to lose their (very modest) home: The father had recently recovered from surgery caused by an injury incurred at work. When he went back to work, he learned his job had been filled in his absence. PLS kicked off a fund raiser with $1500 – this netted additional contributions and the pro bono work of an attorney who managed all the paperwork. The father is back at work and the family remains in their home.

PLS has supported St. Peter Claver school since it re-opened in 2001 in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the metro area. More than 80% of the children it serves are from impoverished, broken homes. At the start, these kids had bleak futures. Now graduates leave for the 9th grade at or above their reading grade level. Most of these kids have set their sights on college.

PLS has shipped thousands of Girl Scout cookies to troops in Iraq. From one Captain – "I just had a group come back from mission and took the boxes out to them. It was great to see their excitement and the begging and clawing that occurred to get their hands on the box of cookies they wanted."