We've been serving businesses in the Midwest for over sixty years. That fact in and of itself is enough for us to be feeling very thankful every year. In a time that is all about giving thanks, we wanted to share a few of the special things that we are thankful for at SumnerOne. 2018 has been a big year for our company, and we just wanted to remind the members of our SumnerOne family and our customers just how special they are and to thank them for the role they have played in that this year.
Giving thanks for our opportunities for growth and prosperity has to be on our list. 2018 has been a big year for us. Not only did we join our legacy brands of Datamax, Copying Concepts, and UDP under our SumnerOne banner, we also expanded! Similar to last year with our acquisition of Corporate Business Systems in Springfield, Missouri, we acquired Drake Systems in Tulsa, Oklahoma. If you've followed along with our company history blog series, you would know that our roots run deep in Oklahoma. Acquiring Drake Systems was a great step for our company in many ways. We are so very thankful for all the new members of the SumnerOne family that have joined SumnerOne this past year, whether it has been through acquisition or becoming new employees. The opportunities that we have had with our growth have further solidified our stance as the largest family-owned office technology company in the Midwest.
Each year we strive to be good stewards of each community that we serve. Whether we are involved through donations, volunteer work, or fundraising, our goal is to be a part of our local communities. In 2018, one event stands out in particular. For the past three years, we've hosted the Worst Copier in KC and raised money for BIGGSteps through a silent auction during the copier drop. BIGGSteps is a local Kansas City charity that raises awareness around the causes and prevention of cancer. During this year's event in September, we raised an astounding $10,000 for BIGGSteps to go towards their mission! The amount raised in 2018 drop is the largest amount raised in the event's history! In addition to donating money to a great non-profit, we doubled down by donating a much needed copier to another local non-profit at the event too.
The 2018 winner of the Worst Copier in KC was Giving the Basics. Giving the Basics is a Kansas City non-profit that helps members of the community by providing them with hygiene products. On average, the organization helps out 220,000 members of the community each month by providing them with the necessities that many of us take for granted. Giving the Basics had the great pleasure of watching their old copier get destroyed, and were the recipients of a brand new copier courtesy of SumnerOne and Canon. The Worst Copier in KC is just one way that we give back to our local communities each year. We are thankful to be members of each community that we serve, and love that we are able to give back!
Earlier this year, we started something new and took to the airwaves! We partnered with The Big 550 KTRS to create a weekly segment called "Tech Talk" on the Guy Phillips Show. Since March, members of our Solutions Team have been guests on the show every Friday afternoon to share their knowledge and spread awareness about different issues in cyber security and technology. Educating others about security awareness and general tips to stay safe with technology is something our Solutions Team enjoys doing, and now they get to reach an even larger audience through the show. The entire crew at KTRS has been great about helping to make this segment a great success and we are very thankful for this stellar partnership and opportunity!
If you aren't already tuning in, Tech Talk goes live every Friday afternoon at 4:20 on 550AM. You can check out some of our past segments by clicking here to get caught up.
Good health is always at the top of the list when it comes to things to be thankful for. This past year we kicked off a few healthy lifestyle challenges across all our offices to encourage healthy habits. Some of the challenges included getting a walking buddy and taking a lunchtime lap and went all the way to creating a "SumnerOne Lunch Club" to work on adopting smarter eating habits. In addition to our challenges, our St. Louis office also participated in the local Biz Dash 5K at Soldiers Memorial. We had 20 St. Louis employees participate and cross the finish line this year! 2018 was a great time for us to focus on the health of our bodies and minds. We're very thankful for the actions members of our SumnerOne family took this year to take care of themselves, and we are hopeful that 2019 will bring us another year of healthy living.
Last but not least, we are thankful for our wonderful partners and customers. At SumnerOne, we strive to provide excellent customer service. The reason is because its what our customers deserve when they come to us for their office technology and solutions needs. Whether you are a new customer or you've been with us for decades, we are thankful for your investment in us as your partner.
With that being said, Happy Thanksgiving from your friends at SumnerOne! We hope that you have a wonderful holiday filled with family and great memories. If you would like to stay up-to-date about what we're up to, be sure to subscribe to our blog updates down below.