Every September, Stiltz employees lace up their sneakers for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. For Danielle, who organizes the walk, it's about one person.

Why she walks

Danielle and Tugce became best friends at 11 years old, growing up together in New York. "She was more like a sister than anything else," Danielle says.

In 2012, just before her 21st birthday, Tugce was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer that's rare in adults and mostly found in children. She passed away in February 2014 at 22. Through two years of treatment, Danielle says, "she never lost her smile or her sense of humor."

That same year, Danielle started walking and fundraising for St. Jude in Tugce's memory. Because the cancer mostly affects kids, St. Jude felt like the right fit. Families there never pay for treatment, travel, housing or food.

How it came to Stiltz

When COVID moved the walk online, Danielle got creative. She hand-painted canvases and sold them to coworkers, with every dollar going to St. Jude. Then-president Mark added a company pledge: if enough employees bought a painting or donated, Stiltz would give $500.

The paintings became a tradition. Last year, Danielle made nearly 60 of them. Stiltz still donates $500 every year and the walks continued after COVID.

Walk day at the office

Right before the official walk, the office gathers. Matt Hoppel, our unofficial tour guide, maps a route with turnaround points so people can do half or the full trail. Employees from every department join in, and teams who can't make it to the main office walk around Tech or the Warehouse instead.

Danielle is quick to share the credit. She thanks the social committee (Angelo Garcia, Celeana Durio, Daniel Wieand, Matthew Steckel and Natalie Barr) and Paul Orlando, who has driven in to walk with her the past few years. And Samantha Rendine, who's been by her side from the start: "I honestly don't know if I would get through either day without her."

This year

Danielle took a break from painting in 2026, and the team still raised nearly $2,500. "I'm always in awe at how much the company and employees care," she says.

What it says about Stiltz

For Danielle, sharing the walk with the people she sees every day means more than they'll ever know. She thinks it shows what Stiltz is really like: "For one day, just an hour, everyone can come together and support a cause."

Her advice for new hires? "We are always looking to give back and volunteer. It's more of a family feel being here."

Next year, the walk continues, and the paintings may make a comeback.