Spreading Holiday Cheer

(Business 2.0 Magazine) -- The yuletide season isn't just about bonus checks and boozy office parties: It's also about giving back. At Las Vegas-based real estate developer Focus Property Group, CEO John Ritter wanted his staff to truly get into the holiday spirit, so he created Community 911, a charity competition that pits teams of employees against one another and blends in elements of reality TV shows like American Idol and Survivor. Last year the four employee teams raised $2.1 million and donated 4,100 hours to help fund projects for local charities. Today the groups are putting that money to good use. Team Mended Hearts is renovating a 30-bed shelter for abused kids. "We really wanted to do something that all the employees could get behind," Ritter says. Now that's a holiday wish worth celebrating.