Schwab employees volunteer their time and talents to support community causes.
AUSTIN: SafePlace and Austin Nature & Science Center
SafePlace seeks to end sexual and domestic violence by providing emergency shelter, 24-hour hotline, legal advocacy and other services. "Twelve of us worked to clear retention ponds that surround the property, and three of us spent the day in SafePlace's warehouse, getting it organized," said project leader Erik Cottrell, a product development director. "It was an amazing day."
At the Austin Nature & Science Center, seven employees pitched in to weed, mulch and haul away debris for a center that strives to build an appreciation of the Central Texas natural environment. "Our team was very interested in doing an activity that was environmentally based," said Jacki Ladd, a technical analyst.
DENVER: Roxborough State Park
Located along the Rocky Mountain foothills just southwest of Denver, Roxborough State Park is a designated Colorado Natural Area, National Cultural District and National Natural Landmark. In May 2009, it was also the site of a Schwab Volunteer Week project. Richard McGourty, an associate portfolio consultant for Schwab who often visits the area as a landscape photographer, led a team of 25 Schwab employees who cleared debris from a choked stream bed, painted portions of an early 20th Century house, cleaned around several historic structures and created a path to those structures for future tour groups.
INDIANAPOLIS: Gleaners Food Bank
In its 29th year, Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana provides food to charities that feed the hungry. This year, 24 Schwab employees helped fill boxes and stack pallets of food to be stored in the warehouse for later use. "Our volunteer group filled 800 boxes before they ran out of some food needed," said Scott Springer, a senior client consultant who has volunteered at Gleaners in the past.
ORLANDO: Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida
The Orlando chapter of the Black Professional Association of Charles Schwab (BPACS) – one of the company's many Employee Resource Groups – assembled and served sack lunches to more than 130 residents at the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida. "We were able to tour the facility and get a first-hand look at the plight of the homeless in our neck of the woods," said Shelton Stark, a senior operations manager, who led the team of 12 Schwab volunteers. "It was both a humbling and exhilarating experience for us all."
PHOENIX: Society of St. Vincent DePaul
In Phoenix, Schwab employees donated peanut butter, bread and supplies, and then sent 32 volunteers to the Society of St. Vincent DePaul to make 3,500 sandwiches for homeless and economically disadvantaged citizens. Phoenix employees collected double the amount of peanut butter needed, and everything extra went to St. Vincent DePaul, which provides compassion and support to those in need through home visits, shelter, food assistance, employment services, thrift stores and outreach programs.
RICHFIELD, OHIO: Battered Women's Shelter and Salvation Army
Twelve employees spent time cleaning and organizing a food storage room and refurbishing an outdoor play area at the shelter that aids victims of family violence in Summit and Medina counties "After another long Ohio winter, the outdoor play area was in need of a good cleaning," said project leader Natalie Gillespie, a client service specialist. "When volunteers saw the play area was very muddy, they decided to pool their own money to purchase mulch for the shelter. A few car rides and 42 bags of much later resulted in a beautiful play area."
Another team of 12 Richfield volunteers helped the Salvation Army of Summit County, OH, by preparing and serving lunch to approximately 50 disadvantaged citizens in the Akron area. The team also organized boxes of toys, clothing and paperwork in the Salvation Army's storage facility and built clothing racks to hold winder jackets. Volunteers also installed cabinets in a mobile canteen, which is used for disaster relief and community outreach. "Collectively, we were able to contribute much more than could ever be done individually," said volunteer Kevin Adams, a manager in Client Web Services.
SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA: Alameda Point Collaborative and Habitat for Humanity
Located just across the bay from San Francisco, the Alameda Point Collaborative provides housing and services for formerly homeless families and individuals. During Schwab Volunteer Week, 21 employees worked in the one-acre urban farm that's maintained by residents, weeding, harvesting and planting new blackberry vines as well as building new trellises.
In San Francisco, 24 employees helped build a Habitat for Humanity home, pitching in to dig trenches, put up siding and set up scaffolding, among other tasks. "Having the opportunity to be directly, physically involved in building a much-needed home for a family is the most rewarding experience," said team leader Katie Kim.
Throughout the bay area, employees like Kelly Livers taught Schwab MoneyWise sessions to high school students. In her presentation to eighth graders at KIPP Bridge Academy in Oakland, Livers discussed the value of money, the difference between saving and investing, and the importance of financial fitness.
TAMPA BAY: Ronald McDonald House
For the first time in 2009, Schwab Volunteer Week allowed employees to create their own project, and Client Service Specialist Carey Busk took full advantage. She rallied the entire Tampa Bay branch to cook meals for families at the local Ronald McDonald House. "I was involved in a local leaderhsip program last year, and part of the work we did was with our local Ronald McDonald House," Busk said. "I was really inspired by the work done by this organization, and I had wanted to volunteer at the charity for some time." Ronald McDonald House Charities provide a home away from home for families of pediatric patients at area hospitals.
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