JHE Production kicks off

About two dozen volunteers from Harrisburg’s JHE Production Group Inc. recently descended upon Wings of Eagles Ranch, a therapeutic horseback riding and outdoor adventure center in rural Concord.

Before lunch, they had painted two fairly large horse barns. By the day’s end, they had painted the exterior of the ranch’s main office.

Their effort is part of JHE’s 25 Days of Service campaign. To celebrate being in business a quarter of a century, employees decided to give back throughout 2012 by donating their time and resources to nonprofits throughout Cabarrus County and beyond.

Future charitable acts will include hosting the second annual Golfing for Good fundraiser this fall, volunteering at Ronald McDonald House, helping build a Habitat for Humanity home and working with the Ryan Newman Foundation and Victory Junction.

Prolific volunteers

JHE’s 80 employees specialize in putting on live entertainment, concerts and opening ceremonies for national sporting events.

Its in-house creative department regularly provides support to mobile tours, festivals and hospitality experiences for Fortune 500 companies. Locally, it is known for creating and hosting the 18-year-old Food Lion Speed Street and The NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge.

Pat Martin has been a ranch board member about a year but has volunteered for nearly six years. He said the painting projects JHE volunteers finished in one day would have taken the ranch more than a year to acquire supplies for, plan and complete.

“You can’t buy good volunteers, and we’ve never had a group more prolific,” said Martin. “It took them longer to get the paint sprayers set up than it did for them to paint two barns.”

Martin said volunteers in general often become advocates for organizations they support. They also help create awareness about the needs of nonprofits throughout the community.

“So their work can have an exponential effect,” said Martin. “And there’s not a private organization out there that doesn’t need that kind of help.”

Concord native Jay Howard, the president of JHE, was raised on Union Street. He said success starts with a well-thought-out plan.

“This is why JHE can be so efficient, whether at an event or painting a barn at the Wings of Eagles Ranch,” said Howard. “Every event we do starts with a plan and team communication.

“From … a live concert to a special event, our team spends more time planning the operation than executing it. When the entire group is invested in the plan, the success is shared by everyone.”

Howard said his employees chose to take on the 25 Days of Service effort after experiencing the success of the company’s inaugural Golfing for Good tournament, which raised thousands for a family in need last year.

“The passion for helping others is an integral part of JHE’s culture,” said Howard. “After raising more than $30,000, they thought 25 days of service would be the most rewarding difference we could make while honoring our 25th anniversary.”

About the ranch

Christine Cronin and her husband, Bob, formed the Wings of Eagles Ranch nonprofit 18 years ago, after a physical therapist recommended horseback riding for their son, Brendan, who has no use of his left side. At 23, not only has he learned to ride a horse, but he mountain bikes, water-skis, downhill skis, hunts and harvests hay for the ranch.

Without programs like hers, Cronin said, it’s likely Brendan would have ended up in a wheelchair, like many of the kids who visit the ranch.

“Because of the horseback riding, because of the balance it brought, because of the self-esteem it gave him, because of the determination it brought him, he’s been able to achieve his goals and thrive,” said Cronin.

But the success of the ranch wouldn’t be possible without the help of hundreds of regular volunteers and donors.

“Our volunteers are such a blessing,” said Cronin. “We can’t do this on our own. It has to take all these volunteers. But while they give back, they see what we do, and they get to see the kids we serve light up.

“So, I’m hoping these volunteers grab on to the whole vision of what Wings of Eagles Ranch is and walk away with something more.”

Julie Alascio, a fleet coordinator with JHE, helped organize the ranch service project. Alascio also is a longtime volunteer at the ranch and Cronin’s friend.

“We got really excited about being able to do something for the community,” she said. “This is what our people do. They put on events, they build stages, so it’s easy for them to come out and be successful and feel good.”

This is the company’s first major volunteer effort, but Alascio said JHE is also having a clothing drive at its Harrisburg office.

“Working for JHE is like a different culture, we’re like family,” said Alascio. “This is what we do. We care about one another, we care about the community, and we care about giving back. We get to do something that matters.”