We had a fantastic evening at Make-A-Wish Minnesota‘s annual Gala last week. The event raised over $850,000, which means 200 kids facing impossible circumstances will have their wishes granted this year!

Thank you to Make-A-Wish for inviting us – it’s a privilege to support an organization that does so much good in our community.

Is there any better way to summarize our Santa event than with the photo above? This time of year is full of holiday magic; and honestly, is there anyone who represents Christmas wonder more than Santa himself?

One of the biggest joys of celebrating Christmas as a parent is reliving it through the eyes of your children. We love doing our part to spread holiday cheer with this annual event; we look forward to this tradition each year.

Last weekend, our team hosted 21 families with 41 children,
served 35 warm cookies,
toasted with 22 cups of cider,
donated 23 gifts to Toys for Tots,
and created countless priceless memories.

Thank you to everyone who came by to visit, take a photo with Santa (thanks, Grupa Portrait Studio!), and donate toys to Minnesota children in need. We’re grateful to kickoff the Christmas season with such generosity and joy.

Below are just a few more photos from the afternoon. It was hard to narrow it down to only a handful of pictures, all of them were adorable!

As the end of 2017 draws near, we’ve been reflecting on our highlights as a company over the past year. By far, our greatest joy was partnering with our friends at Make-A-Wish Minnesota to grant wishes for local children and families facing big challenges.

A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of meeting a fantastic nine-year-old named Matt and his sweet family. After being diagnosed with brain cancer, Matt’s past year has been spent in and out of hospitals and chemo treatments.

Recently, Matt and his family received amazing news: his last scans were clear! It was our honor to help them celebrate by surprising Matt with a trip to Legoland California. We don’t think there was a dry eye in the house when Matt’s Lego and gift card scavenger hunt ended with the big reveal.

To give you an even clearer picture of how special this family is, in the midst of their hard year, they’ve decided to pay it forward. They want other people to experience the power of giving this Christmas and will be buying gifts for hospitalized children instead of buying each other presents. What a beautiful example of generosity and Christmas spirit!

Relive this heartwarming day with us in the photos below. Thank you to our friend Jill of Simply Viewed Creative for capturing each moment with care!

We’ve written previously about our ongoing partnership with Make-A-Wish Minnesota. In 2017, we had the distinct honor of helping send Andy to Disney World and Matt to Legoland!

Recently, we had the pleasure of meeting a young woman named Kelly and her family. Our entire team (and quite a few partners and friends) gathered together to throw Kelly a Murder Mystery Luau.

However, instead of the big reveal merely being a who-done-it, we got to send Kelly off on the Hawaiian vacation of her dreams! Enabling a deserving family to make lifetime memories – that’s our kind of community investment.

Want to see more of our celebration with Kelly, or see our staff fully garbed in grass skirts and Hula gear? Check out a few of our favorite shots from the day below! Thanks to our photographer, Rachel Lea, for capturing all the fun.

And last but not least, thanks to our fantastic team for all pitching in and always being game to look silly for a good cause. Finally, thank you to our own Julie Newton for heading up planning this excellent, fun-filled afternoon!

Thank you to the 152 golfers and 28 volunteers that joined us for a day on the links last week, together we raised an astonishing $41,000 for our friends at Make-A-Wish Minnesota! We are touched to see our community show up for this worthy organization.

Event Photographer: Kristen Grupa, Grupa Portrait Studio
Presenting Sponsor: Contract Interiors Inc.
Premier Sponsors: Glowing Hearth & Home Inc, J & H Wall Specialties,David Charlez Designs, AJ Berger Construction, Krech Exteriors, M&E Catalyst Group, Scherer Bros. Lumber Co.

If you follow Custom One on Facebook, you’ve probably seen us post quite a bit about our partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation this year. Staying connected to our roots, giving back, and cultivating generosity are all important values to us. We love helping families create beautiful homes, but we’re also passionate about using our resources to build up our greater community. Along with our friends at Make-A-Wish Minnesota, this summer our team had the privilege of meeting a young man named Andy.

In cahoots with his parents and under the guise of looking at his mom’s latest work project, Custom One’s owner, Todd, recently gave Andy and his family a tour of our Luxury Home. However, instead of just getting a glimpse of the home’s garage, the excursion ended with an exciting surprise: they’re heading to Disney World! Andy is growing up with a rare, but thankfully treatable, heart disease. Although his Shone’s Complex does require careful monitoring, Andy’s parents are still determined to provide him with everyday childhood experiences.

Everyone at Custom One felt moved by this family’s story – we don’t think there was a dry eye in the house when Andy received his surprise! Thank you to our friends at Make-A-Wish for making this moment possible, our team for facilitating the event, and to the Woodbury Bulletin for documenting our memorable day. Browse through the images below to get a better glimpse of this sweet family and our joy-filled afternoon together.