John Deere Makes $100,000 Donation Match Commitment to Construction Angels Nonprofit Organization
Continuing its commitment to the safety and well-being of the construction industry, John Deere announced it is committed to matching donations, up to a total of $100,000, to the Construction Angels nonprofit organization from November 1 to December 31, 2023. Construction Angels offers critical support when tragedy strikes, providing financial assistance, grief counseling services and long-term scholarship funding to family members left behind when a construction worker dies on the jobsite.
“John Deere is humbled to provide support to Construction Angels,” said Jason Daly, vice president, earthmoving sales, marketing & customer success, John Deere. “This contribution will enable continuity for family members who have lost a construction worker.”
According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, on average 4.5 construction employees are killed in a typical workday in the United States. Also, approximately 20 percent of all jobsite deaths in the United States occur in the construction industry. The founder of Construction Angels, Kristi Gibbs, has dedicated her life to providing a support system in the moments when tragedy strikes.
“In this business, you never know what might happen,” said Gibbs. “You never know what could cause an accident. Safety is our number-one goal in construction. We try to anticipate any different type of construction issue that might occur on the jobsite and prepare for it. But there are accidents that happen that we cannot prepare for.”
When tragic construction-related fatalities occur, Construction Angels provides immediate financial assistance and grief counseling to the spouse and children who are left behind. Gibbs, who represents the third generation of an Ohio family that worked in the asphalt business, knew from a young age that she wanted to work in construction. She was previously employed at a concrete-cutting company in 2009 when she crossed paths with a family in need, resulting in the founding of the Construction Angels organization. In addition to grief counseling and financial support, a scholarship fund created by the nonprofit helps ensure children who lost a parent will still have the financial means to pursue higher education.
Construction Angels is currently providing support in 24 states nationwide and is aiming to expand its assistance to all 50 states by 2030. Gibbs added, “Working with these dealerships has really helped us move ahead, and partnering with companies like John Deere has given us some national exposure and helped us grow.”
To learn more about Construction Angels, or to make an impactful contribution, please visit www.constructionangels.us.
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.