Gift Boxes For A Cause

This past May, Pianetta was honored to have participated in the 21st annual fundraising gala for Conquer Paralysis Now. There are thousands of non profits out there, but this is literally a non profit you can stand behind. I have been lucky enough to have been providing small packages and excursions for several years, but the last two years have been a little “different.” A little background… Sam Schmidt is a former Indy racecar driver who became a quadriplegic after a training accident in 2000. Within a year, Sam started Conquer Paralysis Now, determined to walk again, and help others cure their paralysis and improve their overall living. 2021 marked the 21st year of CPN, their gala event took place the Thursday evening before the Indianapolis 500.

A little more on that later. Last year, during the pandemic, “CPN” had to change the format of their 20th anniversary event after a year’s worth of planning. As you can imagine, this was a hectic changeover. Pianetta was tasked with sending out gift boxes of custom labeled wine and glasses with a “party in a box” to help guests attend a virtual event and enjoy some wine while they tuned in. Due to the success from the first event, this year, we created some larger more elaborate, expanding with some food items, custom blended wines, and custom coasters. Much like the previous year, the gala was virtual, although there was a small group of people who were able to attend live. Guests and viewers alike were blown away when we all watched a video of the founder of CPN, Indy racing team owner Sam Schmidt, walk around in a balance assisted exoskeleton after spending the last 21 years in a wheelchair. This wasn’t his first walk though, this walk came on the heels of dancing with his daughter at her wedding, just weeks before Indy. (Grab a tissue if you need one).

Just to give you an example of the progress that has been made with Sam’s family partnerships and determination… During the 2014 Indianapolis 500 race week, in a partnership with Arrow Electronics Sam was able to drive around a race track for the first time in the modified SAM Corvette Stingray 1.0 hitting a speed of 107. In 2016 he returned to Indy in the SAM version 2.0 and hit a speed of 157. This year, during the 2021 Indianapolis 500, he WALKED into his garage and met his team in the Arrow exoskeleton 1.0. Who know where it will go from here!

Needless to say, we have been honored to help out with this project. During our “boxing parties” at the tasting room there have been no shortage of stories about this fantastic organization and amazing family. Thank you for letting us be a part of your success. Cheers!