A Cintas Canada Location Helps Raise Over $50,000 for a...

A Cintas Canada Location Helps Raise Over $50,000 for a Significant Cause

At Cintas, employee-partners continually raise the bar in giving back and being a force for good for the communities they serve. With over 240 locations across North America, Cintas' impact can be felt far and wide.

A prime example of this took place in Toronto, Canada, where one Management Trainee's (MT) idea led to a group of Cintas locations raising $50,000 for cancer research in just a few months.

This idea originated with Jake, who joined Cintas in 2024 as part of the Management Trainee program. This past July, he brought this idea to his manager, Luis, General Manager at the Cintas location in Toronto.

"Jake approached me in a one-on-one and asked if we could participate in the Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer tournament, which raises money for cancer research at The Princess Margaret Hospital," said Luis. "We were looking to do more philanthropic work, and we thought this was a perfect idea."

The Princess Margaret Hospital is one of the leading oncology research hospitals in the world, and Jake has been participating in their Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer tournament for five years. Because he now works for a large organization, he realized he could make an even greater impact with the company's broad reach.

"As MTs, we are told to push boundaries, take risks and add where we can during our time at Cintas," said Jake. "It's something I was already doing, and I thought now that I'm at Cintas, I could do even more to help."

To garner more support, Luis had Jake speak at the end of a meeting attended by employee-partners from other locations in the Toronto region and propose his idea of raising money and participating in the hockey tournament. Jake was met with resounding smiles and yeses.

Over the next several months, 10 different Cintas locations in the Toronto region helped raise money through different means.

"Our location did a spirit day, where we raffled off different prizes, had a bake sale, and did some contests to help," said Luis. "Other locations came up with different ideas, but we were all working towards the same goal."

The fundraising and tournament proved to be a success, as the locations raised $50,000 in just a few months, and had 70 participants from five different locations form five teams to play in the tournament.

"We received so many great responses from our employee-partners before and during the tournament," said Jake. "Even those who were too far to come play in the tournament asked, 'How can I help?' or 'How can I donate?'"

The Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer tournament ultimately had over 1,500 total participants and raised $3.2 million, with Cintas playing a role in this vital cause.

"Almost everybody in Canada plays hockey, whether on the ice or on the road," said Luis. "The game is universal here, and unfortunately, cancer is a universal challenge, so what better way to fight it than with something as Canadian as this?"

Jake and Luis are already planning for next year's tournament and setting a goal to raise $100,000, which would double their total from last year. With more time to prepare and spread awareness, Jake and Luis are confident that they can make this bigger and better each year.

"We want to make this something we participate in every year and have a constant presence," said Luis. "We want every employee-partner in our region to become familiar with this and create a task force to help bring more awareness and lead the charge."

Reflecting on the incredible teamwork behind this achievement, Jake emphasized the collaborative spirit that made it possible.

"I couldn't have done this without Luis and so many other employee-partners at our locations," said Jake. "This was truly a group effort, and I am so thankful for everyone being able to make this happen."

All it took to make this a success and start a new tradition was one idea from an employee-partner who had been on the job for just a year. It's a great example of why Cintas refers to everyone as employee-partners, because whether you have been there for a month or 20 years, entry-level or C-suite, everyone has the opportunity to make a real difference.