In December 1980, Gulf Refrigeration, acquired by Ferguson HVAC in 2006, had a scrawny little Christmas tree on the counter of their Anderson Road location in Tampa with no lights and few decorations. A customer declared it the saddest tree he had ever seen and asked a counter salesman, Fred Parrulli, for a paper clip. The customer pinned a dollar to the tree. As Christmas approached, more and more money covered the tree. On Christmas Eve, the money was delivered to the Hope Children’s Home in Tampa and a tradition was born.
the guests with Christmas carols
Ferguson HVAC celebrated the 42nd Annual Christmas party benefiting Hope Children’s Home on December 16, 2022 at their facility located at 10639 Crossroads Commerce Boulevard, Tampa, FL 33610. Over $11,000 was raised to benefit the Home.
A group of Ferguson HVAC’s vendor partners were on hand, displaying their products and fielding questions from the contractors in attendance. Hancock’s BBQ of Lutz, FL catered a delicious BBQ lunch with all the sides, refreshments and desserts.
The Hope Children’s Home Choir sang Christmas carols to entertain the crowd and helped distribute the raffle prizes drawn at the conclusion of the event. There was face painting, balloon sculptures and a bean-toss game on hand for the benefit of the children and young-at-heart adults.
“Thank you to our customers for supporting this event every year, our vendors for their time and donations to the raffle and our employee volunteers for making this event possible,” stated Ferguson HVAC Tampa Manager Susan Cardinal. “It has been inspiring watching these children grow over the years and we thank them once again for being a part of our celebration.”
Hope Children’s Home is a faith-based non-profit organization that cares for children that, through no fault of their own, find themselves in a situation of needed rescue. Some children simply come out of a situation where a parent just needs a little help. Founded in 1968, the charity has rescued nearly 5,000 children between the ages of infant to 18 years old. The organization currently operates campuses in Tampa, New Mexico and Honduras.
Visit www.hopechildrenshome.org to learn more about the organization.
Contact the Ferguson HVAC Tampa team by calling 813.626.5111.
Visit https://flhvacinsider.smugmug.com/ Event Archives for more coverage.
