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2016 Granite United Way Day of Caring

This year marks year two for The Lawson Group participating in the Granite United Way Day of Caring. The Day of Caring is a celebration of community volunteers giving one day to help one another. Volunteers provide helping hands to non-profit agencies that need assistance. Nearly 1,100 volunteers were out around Greater Manchester and Merrimack County on Wednesday, September 7, 2016.  Local nonprofits across the regions had submitted ‘wish lists’ of projects to be completed – everything from painting and landscaping, to office work, and helping at equine facilities.

It was another successful year for The Lawson Group, with 26 employees volunteering on 3 different projects. We had a ton of fun, learned a lot, and helped the community! It was a win-win for everyone involved. I asked employees what they thought of this year’s event, and these are some of the responses I received:

doc1“I really enjoyed listening to the history and culture of the Shakers from our volunteer guide.  Through his history lesson I was able to understand why and how the village was there and the importance of maintaining the properties.  It helped me understand why I was volunteering and that I was able to make a difference. And it was nice to work and talk with other employees outside of the office in a different setting.  Overall the day was fun!”

“You get a new appreciation for how much work goes into your food before it even reaches your plate when you spend an afternoon weeding the rows and harvesting, washing, and sorting the carrots. Of course, doing it in good company makes the work so much more enjoyable!”

“I think the most interesting thing for me was living about a mile from the Shaker Village and I didn’t realize the purpose of the gardens and how immense they were. Some of the organic vegetables are sold at the roadside stand (very few), many go to the concord co-op and are used in the hot food bar (lunch), then another portion goes to a local food pantry.”

“Although we weren’t able to complete the project we were originally supposed to help with due to a little rain, we had a great time playing with the kids at the daycare. And a group of us are planning to go back to the site in a couple weeks and paint the fence we weren’t able to paint!”

We allow employees to participate in the event on company time as a part of our Community Service policy. If you want more information about the benefits of implementing a policy such as this, I wrote about it in our blog after this event last year.

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Granite United Way Day of Caring

Most people want to give their time and support a cause that’s important to them, but finding the time and the right opportunity can be a challenge. With many people leading busy lives, community service may always be on the to do list, but never get checked off.

Fortunately, more employers have started offering community service programs where employees are allowed to volunteer during their work day. The benefits to the employer and the employee are numerous, with some examples being:

  • Employees get to know their coworkers on a different level, and there is an opportunity to show leadership skills in a non-threatening environment.
  • Not all employees are comfortable networking, but individuals who are passionate about a group they volunteer with can become great ambassadors for their company while doing something good.
  • There is no better feeling than helping someone in need. Group volunteer efforts can be a huge morale booster!

I am lucky enough to work for a company that supports volunteering during work time, and have the chance to coordinate many of our community service efforts. The Lawson Group implemented a Community Service Program in 2012, and it has been a work in progress ever since; getting better year by year. We have offered a handful of opportunities annually, our most recent being The Granite United Way Day of Caring, which took place on September 9, 2015. This was our most successful event yet, with 62% of our full time employees participating in three different projects in the Concord area. I asked employees what they thought of the opportunity, and these are some of the responses I received:

MVDC_paintingIt felt really nice to do something for others.  Sometimes as people, we think that we want to do something like volunteer, but stop ourselves because, perhaps, we feel intimidated or awkward.  It was nice working with coworkers in a different environment than the regular work place.  It was nice to get to know some of our coworkers on a different level. 

I think many people struggle to find time, between work and family commitments,  to volunteer in their communities. I’m very grateful The Lawson Group provides its employees with volunteer opportunities to participate in during the work day.   It’s a great feeling to give your time to organizations that need help.  I look forward to being able to participate in more volunteer opportunities.

The consulting group did some painting at Second Start. The building was very impressive, and the Executive Director who gave us a tour highlighted all of the efforts made over the years to preserve the historical building… Knowing the history made it even more special to me knowing that we were helping in the efforts to preserve the building and its amenities. We weren’t just helping a daycare, we weren’t just painting a fence; we were helping the history, the adults who need to further their education, refugees who are coming to Concord to learn english and cultural basics, and so much more.YMCA_painting

This was one of the best volunteer days I have been a part of, I really felt that we were making a difference by improving the after school center at the YMCA.  Looking forward to next year!

I encourage anyone interested in starting a workplace Community Service program to do so. You can start small and build the program as you gain traction. I am confident you will find many benefits! Probably even more than I’ve listed here.