Why do we give?

While we look back fondly now, the early days of our dear agency weren’t all cigarettes and martini lunches. Joe Crowley and John Webb took a huge leap of faith, and it wasn’t always easy to make ends meet. But they were committed to the idea of this agency – and committed to enabling their new employees to make a decent living making ads in Buffalo, New York. Which obviously involved meeting payroll. Which proved to be challenging one month back in 1986.

So Joe did what he often did in sticky times. He stepped outside for a breath of fresh air and took a stroll to (aptly named) St. Joseph’s Cathedral for a little reflection. On his way, he saw a man down on his luck. He then did what he often did and gave the gentleman a twenty. The last twenty in his pocket. During a time when his business was short on cash.

Upon his return to the Crowley Webb offices, Joe was informed by a teary-eyed Jean Fletcher that a large paycheck they’d been waiting for had finally arrived in the mail.

The point of this parable isn’t to scare you into throwing money at every needy person you see this afternoon, but to illustrate why Crowley Webb places such a high priority on giving back to our community. Joe didn’t give his last twenty as a gamble that a check would then magically show up. He did it because that’s how his hardworking parents raised him. He and John made a conscious decision to make corporate giving a part of our agency. And we do our best to keep this tradition alive so many years later.

Our people individually give to the United Way. And have been doing so for two decades now.

We regularly serve food and smiles at Friends of Night People.

Many of us offer our time and efforts to boards throughout Buffalo.

We regularly offer financial support to select community organizations.

Then there’s the pro bono. Not a month has gone by over the past 352 that we haven’t been working on a pro bono project for various clients near and dear to our hearts.

And the list goes on.

Giving is just our way here at Crowley Webb. And the hope is that this story of Joe will inspire you to do a little service of your own this Giving Tuesday – or whenever it makes sense for you. Be it with time, money, or talent. Simply because it’s the right thing to do. Which John and Joe were always about doing.