This year we had over 100 volunteers and totaled over 300 hours of volunteer work. Our US East office participated in various events in Jacksonville.
To kick off the year, some of our sales team members volunteered at Rethreaded. They spent the afternoon stripping leather seats to be re-purposed into jewelry whose sale benefits victims of human trafficking.
Hunger Fight 2018 was RF-SMART’s biggest philanthropy event this year. Over 50 team members, with the help of some family and friends, packed food for those facing hunger in Jacksonville.
Wanting to join in on the fun, The US West team partnered with Food Bank of the Rockies to pack 9,778 pounds of food which helped to feed 39,112 people in the Denver area.
Through HabiJax, a Habitat for Humanity affiliate, we were able to help build an affordable home for a family, as well as provide meals for those facing hunger here on the First Coast.
Each December, RF-SMART employees have the opportunity to participate in Angel Tree, a Salvation Army program. This program embodies the spirit of giving by helping thousands of underprivileged children get to experience the joy of opening gifts on Christmas day. Each Angel Tree holds the names of children in need of clothes and toys. Because RF-SMART has been one of their most consistent and effective donor companies, The Salvation Army asked us to take on older children, most of whom have been “forgotten” in the past. This year, 75 RF-SMART employees took a “Forgotten Boy” or “Forgotten Girl” teen angel and made sure they will have something special for Christmas.
As we look forward to 2019, we plan to increase our focus on impacting people outside of RF-SMART. We will still be encouraging our team members to volunteer time and contribute financially, but we plan to select regional, national, and global charities that align with RF-SMART’s values with which we can partner. As always, we will welcome the families of our employees to join us to volunteer and participate.
So why the emphasis on volunteering throughout the year? We sat down with our VP of People, Aaron Ellinger, to ask a few questions:
Q: Why is philanthropy so important to RF-SMART?
A: "RF-SMART supports and encourages team members to get involved with volunteering because it helps us to accomplish our mission. Focusing on caring for others is an excellent way to make an impact on the world in order to make it a better place."
Q: What have been some of the most rewarding parts of these projects?
A: "There are many rewarding aspects of volunteering! From seeing the smiles on the faces of those we are helping, or receiving a sincere thank-you, to knowing that our time has helped someone besides ourselves."
Q: How does it impact you to work for a company that puts such an emphasis on volunteering?
A: "I love working for a company that is focused on changing lives in this way! Making a difference in our community is something that I enjoy doing. I also want to model to my children how important it is to help other people, and I love that RF-SMART provides easy ways for me to get involved and do that."
