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Earlier this year, an engaged donor of Building Impact’s sent me “How to Be an Everyday Philanthropist,” by Nicole Bouchard Boles. The book is a great read and really puts our work into context.
Building by building, we are mobilizing everyday philanthropists who give their time, their resources and their “stuff” to benefit individuals, families and children in need across Greater Boston. Our team at Building Impact is inspired by these collective acts of giving and by seeing people and companies who were bystanders to civic life now blossoming into the next generation of local volunteers and givers. Below are a handful of their stories – enjoy. Happy spring! Lisa Guyon, Executive Director
Superstar Volunteer Interview
Erin Bird, Ambassador Extrordinaire!
Erin Bird is a Building Impact Superstar Ambassador leading the way for her company to participate in many Building Impact events over the past few years. Below, she shares with us the beginnings of her passion for service. Tell us about your community service back ground. Prior to discovering Building Impact I had done very little local service. I had done the research, but I never really found the right fit with an organization. I knew there was SO MUCH OUT THERE, it was just a matter of finding the right place before I could get pumped—I am happy I found BI! How did you learn about BI?
When I started working at a pharmaceutical company in Cambridge, I saw the signs posted in the lobby but I never really paid attention. Then one of my co-workers asked if I would be interested in making valentines for senior citizens over my lunch break. Umm, yes please?!
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Stories from the Ground
In February, Building Impact teamed up with The Greater Boston Food Bank, Boston Cares, and The Boston Globe Foundation to respond to the growing number of hungry people in Massachusetts by collecting high-protein food and baby food to meet the needs of the Greater Boston Food Bank and Room to Grow. Building Impact mobilized donation drives in over 50 buildings and found support within 70 companies to sponsor in-office donation drives. The effort was a resounding success with over 3,430 lbs of food and $5,550 collected, which combine to equal 8,523 lbs of food from Building Impact.
One standout contributor to the Food Drive was real estate partner, New Boston Fund. Not only did their buildings participate, but so did their corporate headquarters, which contributed 350 lbs of food. Thank you New Boston Fund for your leadership and generosity and to all other participants.
Spring Drive Puts Clothes to Work
This April, Building Impact took action to help job seekers in Boston by participating in Morgan Memorial Goodwill’s annual Put Your Clothes to Work Drive to benefit the Goodwill Job Training Program. This program offers training, support and placement services for individuals with barriers to employment including education, income and disabilities of many kinds. Building Impact’s buildings responded to Goodwill’s call to action and donated over 2,500 suits, blouses, dress shoes and other items worth over $28,000 to job training graduates who will receive the professional clothing free of charge as they interview to find the job they deserve. This year, the biggest impact was created by the John Hancock Tower. Eight companies participated in the drive including Highfields Capital, which lead the charge by collecting 126 of the 331 items donated by the building. Thanks to all who participated and helped local Bostonians get professional clothes and get to work.
Industrial Economics Makes Gardens Grow!
Industrial Economics, a company at The Henderson Carriage Building in Cambridge, hosted a volunteer event in their office during lunchtime and invited the rest of their building neighbors to join. A total of 17 volunteers from Industrial Economics, TERC and Barefoot Books sorted seed packets and decorated flower pots for the Cambridge non-profit CitySprouts, which creates and maintains school gardens in Cambridge for teachers to use with students. The CitySprouts staff told us that it usually takes them several days to sort all the seeds for their gardens, so the group’s help was greatly appreciated! Made possible through our partnership with:
Non-Profit Spotlight
Birthday Wishes are Coming True!
Birthday Wishes is a non-profit organization that provides birthday parties for children living in homeless shelters across eastern Massachusetts. For the past two months, BI volunteers from companies throughout Greater Boston have been taking their lunch hour to make birthday cards, banners, and goodie bags for kids at these shelters. SolidWorks, Princeton Properties, residents of River Place Towers in Lowell, OneSource, and NAIOP all donated the supplies as well as their time and creativity. Thanks to everyone for your time and creativity and for making a child’s birthday special!
The Real Estate Industry’s Year of Community Service reached new depths this quarter, literally. On Earth Day, 25 real estate employees cleaned up the banks of the Charles River in Watertown. Outfitted with wading boots, they helped collect 27 bags of trash and recycling out of the river and surrounding areas. They removed car doors, bicycles, and left the area as beautiful as nature intended it. Also making an impact this quarter, AM-PM Cleaning, Suffolk Construction, Mass Hauling/Capital Paper Recycling, and Sherin & Lodgen, LLP, collected business clothing items as part of R.E.Action2010’s Put Your Clothes to Work Drive sponsored by Goodwill’s Job Training program. The group collected 687 items to help graduates look their best at interviews and get that much-needed job. Thanks to Suffolk Construction for providing 483 of these critical need items! R.E.Action2010 is also growing! With 48 companies now signed up, we’d like to welcome our newest participants: CB Richard Ellis, AEW Capital Management, Charles River Realty, and Mass Hauling/Capital Paper Recycling. Welcome, and thanks for making an impact in your communities this year.
This & That
Read more about what we're doing in the community!
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Mission & Vision
Mission: Building Impact’s mission is to strengthen communities by providing individuals and companies with the knowledge and opportunities to volunteer, donate, and connect, in the buildings where they work and live.
Vision: Building Impact envisions a day when every person and company is actively engaged in making their community stronger and healthier.
Upcoming Events
Volunteer: Create Braille Books for Kids
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