May 12, 2016
As I shared in my last volunteer post, giving back to the community has always been something I’ve felt very passionately about. Upon launching my career in PR, I worried about still being able to find the time to volunteer. Luckily for me, my colleagues at Aria rallied around the idea of launching a year-round company volunteer initiative, which we kicked off with our successful Thanksgiving drive last year.
Recently, in the spirit of National Volunteer Month, we decided to volunteer at Cradles to Crayons. This non-profit organization provides children ages 0-12, living in low-income and homeless situations, with the essential items they need to thrive. I had volunteered at Cradles to Crayons before, and always had a fantastic time, so I was happy I could share that experience with my Aria family as well.
Prior to our visit to the Cradles to Crayons warehouse, we hosted a successful company drive to collect items that we could donate during our visit. We were able to collect 170+ items (far exceeding our fifty-item goal) including clothing, baby supplies, toys, hygiene items, and school supplies. Then, on Friday, April 29th, we closed the office early and headed out to the warehouse where we were tasked with helping to sort clothes by gender and size.
At the end of our shift, we all gathered as a group with Cradles to Crayons staff members to hear how many children we had impacted that afternoon (over 114!) and to take group pictures to help us remember the day. Not only was this experience a great bonding opportunity for our team, but it was also inspiring to hear how many people we were able to help.
Here’s what some of the Aria crew had to say about our experience:
“I had a great time spending a Friday afternoon with my coworkers. We took our quality control job very seriously, and we shared a few laughs over trying to figure out children’s sizing.”
“Learning how many children we helped out during our shift was such a great way to end the day. I walked away feeling like I really made a difference. I also loved that we all worked in the same department, as we were able to bond as a team over that specific task.”
“My favorite part of the experience was meeting the workers at Cradles to Crayons and hearing about why they do what they do. We really appreciated how funny and encouraging our staff leader Patrick was. We could genuinely see how much he enjoyed working there.”
“It was great to be able to put my knowledge of girl clothing sizes (I have a one- and a four-year-old) to good use as I was able to sort like a pro.”
“Volunteering was not only rewarding because we got to help children in need, but I also got to know some of my coworkers a lot better too!”
It really does feel great to work for a company that values community involvement. It makes working at Aria so much more rewarding. Check out some of our volunteer pics here, and keep an eye on our blog for more information on our volunteer and team bonding activities!
