A Christmas Triumph

 

 

Triumph Tool Ltd. is a family-run business that has operated in Guelph for 41 years. Currently run by John, Patrick, & Leslie Duffy, the local business believes in taking care of their community. After years of throwing a Christmas party for staff and their families and taking care of them as family, Leslie realized that they wanted to take care of those in the community who might not be as fortunate.

“We decided on Adopt-A-Family because it coincided with the holiday season. We flipped our annual Christmas party’s budget over to adopt youth in our community who need help and it’s been such a great experience.”

The team at Triumph Tool didn’t just adopt one family – every year, they adopt upwards of 20 independent youth, who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

 “We knew these independent youth would be harder to match with a donor so we said we would take as many as we could,” says Leslie. Adopting the youth turned out to be more than a great way to give back – it became an annual tradition that the staff looked forward to all year. “It’s a great team-building exercise – we pair people up who might not normally work together so they get to know another member of the staff team. They love getting to do the shopping themselves too!” says Leslie.

Kim Salmon, Controller at Triumph Tool, and Joe Formica, Operations Manager, have been involved in the planning process since day one. “I first got to see the impact of Adopt-A-Family when my son’s lacrosse team got together to adopt one. It’s incredible the need out there and how people get together to help,” says Kim. Joe says that participating in Adopt-A-Family shifted his perspective on giving back: “I just thought, ‘how am I helping out my community?’ Adopt-A-Family is the perfect opportunity to make an impact.”

When asked what they’d like these youth to know, the team had this to say:

Kim: “We want them to know that we appreciate them and what they’re going through.”

Joe: “They should know that people are thinking of them in their own community.”

Leslie: “I hope they know we care about them. I hope this inspires them to reach out and help others in the future who might be in a situation they were once in.”

Thank you, Triumph Tool, for creating special Christmas memories for young people in our community.

^{Leslie Duffy accepting recognition as a Visionary Donor at the 2019 Gala with
Karyn Kirkwood, Program Director for Adopt-A-Family.}