Going Beyond the Office- BI in the Community

Following a year like 2020, there was a lot to be optimistic about heading into 2021.

A huge highlight for our Boardroom Insiders team was our new 2021 Community Service initiative, giving each employee the opportunity to dedicate 8 hours per quarter to serve a cause of their choice. Not only was our team thrilled to see each other outside of a Zoom screen, but they were thrilled to be able to give back to their local communities spanning from coast to coast. 

A 2017 Deloitte Volunteerism Survey found that when employees are given the chance to invest time into serving the community, big things happen. For one, it supercharges company culture and fosters better relationships among coworkers (especially ones who have only known each other through a screen!). Additionally, findings revealed that those who frequently participate in workplace volunteer opportunities are more likely to be satisfied, engaged, and even develop leadership skills. 

Simply put, this policy was widely embraced by our team. As a company, we clocked over 325 community service hours! 

Learn more about the organizations our team was able to serve this year: 

Classroom Central

Classroom Central: Classroom Central equips students in need to effectively learn by collecting and distributing free school supplies to their teachers. We serve teachers and students in nearly 200 schools across six school districts in the Charlotte Region. Supplies are distributed through our Free Store, Mobile Free Store and several other community-supported programs. Learn more here: https://classroomcentral.org/  

Promising Pages

Promising Pages: All children need books in their homes in order to grow academically, but there are an estimated 60,000 children in the Charlotte area living in a book desert. Home libraries are often seen as a luxury for under-resourced children and families in our community. Promising Pages collects new and donated books and distributes them to students and organizations, with the goal of eliminating the book desert and providing a free resource to those that need it most. Learn more here: https://promising-pages.org/ 

  Second Harvest Food Bank

Second Harvest Food Bank: Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina (SHMETROLINA) strives through education, advocacy, and partnerships to eliminate hunger by the solicitation and distribution of food. SHMETROLINA has been in existence since 1981. Learn more here: https://www.secondharvestmetrolina.org/ 

Keep Islip Clean

Keep Islip Clean, a branch of Keep America Beautiful: It is to Keep Islip Clean (KIC), a not-for-profit, community service organization dedicated to a cleaner, prouder Islip Township. KIC, a certified affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, Inc., with hundreds of dedicated volunteers, work all year round picking up roadside litter, planting flowers, painting over graffiti, cleaning our wetlands and improving the quality of life for all 18 hamlets of Islip. Learn more here: http://www.keepislipclean.org/ 

Food Runners San Francisco

Food Runners San Francisco: Whether it is called Food Waste, Food Rescue, or Food Recovery, Food Runners is a leader in the effort to keep edible food from being discarded. Food Runners picks up excess perishable and prepared food from businesses such as restaurants, caterers, bakeries, hospitals, event planners, corporate cafeterias, and hotels and delivers it directly to neighborhood food programs. Learn more here: https://www.foodrunners.org/ 

Harvest Hope Food Bank- Columbia SC: Harvest Hope is on a mission to eliminate hunger and food insecurity in South Carolina. We rescue nutritious food from stores throughout the state and distribute it to food pantries, shelters, and soup kitchens. We operate programs that provide food for our most vulnerable citizens – children, seniors, and rural residents who don’t have access to grocery stores. We also run our own emergency food pantries in Greenville and Columbia where anyone in need can get a week’s supply of groceries for free. Learn more here: https://www.harvesthope.org/ 

Crisis Assistance Ministry

Crisis Assistance Ministry: The mission of Crisis Assistance Ministry is to provide assistance and advocacy for people in financial crisis, helping them move toward self-sufficiency. Our vision is to inspire our community to justice and generosity as we provide help, hope, and understanding to people struggling with limited financial resources. Learn more here: https://www.crisisassistance.org/ 

  Senior Coastsiders

Senior Coastsiders: We support successful aging for Coastside seniors by providing opportunities, services, and resources that meet their needs, enrich their lives, foster their independence, and respect their creativity, dignity, and value. Learn more here: https://www.seniorcoastsiders.org/  

  Roc Solid

Roc Solid: Each year, Roc Solid builds hope for thousands of families who are fighting pediatric cancer by building families playground sets, ready bags, and offering support. Learn more here: https://rocsolidfoundation.org/ 

The YMCA of Greater Charlotte: The YMCA of Greater Charlotte brings people together – from all backgrounds and circumstances – to create connections that transform lives and community. For nearly 150 years, our Y has fostered meaningful and lasting personal and social change. With a mission to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all, we work alongside our neighbors to ensure everyone has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive. Learn more here: https://www.ymcacharlotte.org/here-for-good 

Baxter Trail Club: To promote a healthy outdoor lifestyle and educational opportunities for the residents of Baxter Village and the surrounding area. Learn more here: https://www.baxtertrailclub.org/Volunteer 

The Catawba River Sweep: The Catawba Riversweep is one day a year when citizens from all over the Catawba-Wateree River Basin come together to clean up on the same day. October 2, 2021 will be a day when thousands of neighbors come together at dozens of sites from Lake James to Lake Wateree and everywhere in between. It will be a day of hard work, fun, fellowship, and action! Learn more here: https://catawbariversweep.org/ 

COVID Vaccination Centers (various)

Other organizations Boardroom Insiders supported in 2021: 

Clean Coonoor: Clean Coonoor is a community campaign which strives to help the town have: a clean and safe water supply, clean and safe ambient air, an efficient system for safe emptying of animal, human, and industrial waste, clean food free of biological and chemical contaminants, and adequate housing in clean and safe surroundings. Learn more here: https://www.cleancoonoor.org/ 

Sharon Gillenwater serves as the co-chair on the Board of Gateway Public Schools in San Francisco where she helps plan and implement strategies and initiatives: https://gatewaypublicschools.org/

In addition to team service hours, Boardroom Insiders supported these great nonprofits in our communities in 2021:

Thank you to our Boardroom Insiders team members for all of their service this year!