Cha-ching! (9-15)

Johnson's Florist & Garden Center is one of the more benevolent retail operations in the country. Indeed, the garden center in Kensington, Md., has made a major commitment to give back to the communities where its employees live and we work.

The store donates gift cards to events hosted by schools, churches, charities, fraternal organizations, and other groups. Every fall, it sells and honors the “Care for Kids” discount shopping cards sold by the Children’s Hospital Foundation. The proceeds from this sale benefit the programs and patients at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC.

At Christmas, Johnson's Florist & Garden Center donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of cut Christmas trees to organizations such as KidSave, and collects non-perishable foods for So Others Might Eat. Recently, the garden center teamed with a local radio station to support the Salvation Army’s “Coats for Kids” drive and its radiothon in support of St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

That's not all. In the past quarter Johnson's made donations to the following organizations and events:

Arc of Montgomery County, Evergreen School, Judith A. Resnik Elementary School, FAIR Fund, Rabbi Joseph Weinberg Early Childhood Center, Lucy V. Barnesley Elementary School, All Hallows Guild - Washington National Cathedral, James Hubert Blake High School, Rock Creek Forest Elementary School, Westbrook Elementary School, Acorn Hill Waldorf Kindergarten & Nursery, SEEC, Silver Spring Garden Club, Washington Women's Chorus, Salvation Army - National Capital Area Command, Women's Club of Washington Grove, Rock Creek Valley Elementary School, Ashburton Elementary School, Cedar Grove Elementary School, Laytonsville Elementary School, Magruder High School, Mater Amoris Montessori School, St. James' Episcopal Church, Food & Friends, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church & Preschool, Savings Teens in Crisis Collaborative/Partnership for a Drug Free America, Habitat for Humanity, American Cancer Society's Relay For Life of Rockville, Chabad Lubavitch, Second Genesis, Inc., Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents, Newport Mill Middle School, Shady Grove Adventist Hospital Foundation, DC Black Alliance for Educational Options, and Rock Creek Academy.

That's a lot of money the store could have kept. Instead, by investing in its community, Johnson's Florist & Garden Center has created a bond with its customers that transcends the simple business transaction. Apparently, "Cha-ching!" can be measured in a variety of ways.

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