Max shakes hands with Dan and Michael Schwab of D&H during a recent event announcing the Make-A-Wish sponsorship in the Dauphin County Administration Building.
Back in October, Storm Troopers and Darth Vader greeted Max, a 13-year-old with a neuromuscular disorder at the D&H headquarters.
The surprise didn’t stop there. More than 700 employees from the technology distribution company told Max that they would be granting his wish: he and his family were going to Universal Studios.
“It was probably the most meaningful event that we’ve had in my 25 years at D&H, and the employees at D&H were honored to be involved in the wish reveal,” said Dan Schwab, co-president of D&H.
After helping to fund Max’s wish, Harrisburg-based D&H has pledged to fund wishes of local children with life-threatening conditions through a yearlong partnership with Make-A-Wish Philadelphia, Delaware and Susquehanna Valley.
Although D&H frequently does philanthropic initiatives as part of its charity organization called D&H Cares, Schwab said that the company has never done an initiative of this magnitude.
Starting in April 2020, the company will grant approximately 12 to 14 wishes per year.
Beyond providing funding for wishes, D&H hopes to spread awareness about the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“One of the big misconceptions about Make-A-Wish is that people think that it’s only for children who are terminal,” Schwab said. “[Make-A-Wish] is for kids who have a life-threatening disease. A lot of parents don’t realize that their children may be eligible, and so in order to drive awareness and highlight our commitment to Dauphin County, we wanted to make sure that all wishes are funded.”
The largest privately owned company in the region, D&H maintains a commitment to the local area and to its employees, who also own 36 percent of the company, Schwab said. Long based in Harrisburg, D&H earlier this year announced an impending move to Lower Paxton Township, about six miles from its current headquarters on N. 7th Street.
“We run the company like a family,” Schwab said. “We focus a lot on the health and wellness of our employees, but we also focus on our contributions to the community, because we all live, work and play in the local area.”
D&H was founded over a century ago and has been operating in Dauphin County for 70 years.
Schwab hopes that the company’s partnership with Make-A-Wish will deepen the company’s commitment to the community.
“We never want to forget our roots and our commitment to the local community that helped us become successful,” Schwab said.
For more information on D&H, visit www.dandh.com For more information on Make-A-Wish Philadelphia, Delaware and Susquehanna Valley, visit www.philadesv.wish.org.
