Amid job losses and financial strain due to the coronavirus pandemic, a Hawthorn Woods couple is aiming to help feed families in surrounding communities and promote local businesses.
Katie and Quintin Sleigh operate Sleigh Family Chiropractic, in Arlington Heights. Two consecutive recent weekends, the couple donated money to local eateries to give customers discounts on their orders.
“We feel fortunate that we’re still able to be open,” Katie Sleigh said of the couple’s business. “Lots of businesses are a lot harder hit than we are, and we just think it’s important to help do whatever we can to support others during this time.”
Sleigh and her husband, both doctors, opened their Arlington Heights chiropractic office together in 2009.
In an effort to give back, the couple sponsored 20, $10 gift cards at Culver’s restaurant in Buffalo Grove April 4-5. Customers only needed to mention the
Sleighs’ name at the drive thru. Location owner Kevin Weasler matched the donation, resulting in a total of $400 to contribute to customer orders.
“We were just happy to hopefully bring more traffic for them than what they would’ve usually had,” Katie Sleigh said.
When the promotion started at 5 p.m., Sleigh said 12 cars were already lined up in the restaurant’s drive thru and parking lot. The offer ran throughout the weekend, and Sleigh said she received many messages of gratitude on Facebook.
“People were definitely appreciative,” she said. “It was nice that it could help both … the business but also support the community members, too.”
During a second round of donations Friday, the Sleighs 20 $5 gift cards for customers at CoCo and Blu Café, a new locally-owned coffee shop in Arlington Heights.
The cafe opened in December, which was one of the reasons the couple decided to drive business there.
“I can only imagine what it’s like being a newer business right now where you were still getting in stride and getting out into the community, and then you get shut down,” Sleigh said.
According to CoCo and Blu Café co-owner Michael Brown, the café used to be open seven days a week but now only operates on Friday, Saturday and Sunday because of slow business. He said the space was originally created for people to come in and relax, socialize, read books or enjoy a mug of coffee.
“We did not intend to open a to-go restaurant,” he said. “This is definitely a difficult time for everyone.”
Brown said they offered the $5 gift cards to the first 20 customers of the day. He said the patrons were grateful and some supported the company further by tipping generously and purchasing gift cards to use later.
“It was such a nice gesture,” he said of the Sleighs’ donation. “We appreciate the community of Arlington Heights and Sleigh Family Chiropractic for supporting our new small business.”
Sleigh and her husband plan to offer the same thing again for one or two more weekends in April as the stay-at-home order continues, but they haven’t decided the next location yet.
This isn’t the only way the chiropractic company has been giving back to the community. It is also in the midst of the fourth annual donation drive for WINGS Program, a Palatine-based nonprofit that provides housing, supplies and support for people who have experienced domestic abuse, according to its website.
Despite the pandemic, Sleigh said the turnout of donation items has been high — a result of extra spring cleaning and decluttering, she suspects. Donations can be dropped off at the Sleigh Family Chiropractic office through May 7.
“It’s really all about just giving back to the community,” she said.
kedquist@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @kaitlinedquist
