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David Cook, Aegis Fire Protection
I have enjoyed the acts of kindness this summer. Some of the highlights are as follows.
My 80 year neighbor has the cutest French bull dog. Walking his dog was probably more fun for me than them.
- A retired man up the street from me has never fully recovered from Covid. I helped trim some out of control bushes along his fence.
- I have been taking groceries to a family in need several times.
- I like sending the get well and thank you cards to people. They have expressed their gratefulness.
- This is the fifth year of hosting a fundraising event for Big Brothers and Big Sisters. They are a great organization.
- The positive video messages I have sent have been well received.
- The co-worker that in the past I have only greeted in passing was surprisingly receptive to my invitation for a cup of coffee.
Ben Zackheim, FirstService Residential
For Summer of Service this year, our office volunteered at the 2024 U.S. Paralympic Track & Field Team Trials. Coming together as a community, our team supported athletes and their families to keep things running smoothly. Witnessing world-class Paralympic athletes in action was truly humbling, inspiring, and motivating. It was an incredible experience to see such determination and talent on display. Volunteering at this event is exactly what Summer of Service is all about.
Tal Eyal, FirstService Project Management
“Team Tal” Unites to Support Food Insecurity | Summer of Service
In support of our Summer of Service initiative, “Team Tal” gathered in the Central Park conference room at 575 Fifth Avenue on August 7 and spent several hours assembling turkey & cheese and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. Afterwards, the team delivered four boxes filled with 230 sandwiches to Crossroads Community Services, a non-profit whose mission is to unite our community in the fight against hunger and homelessness.
Hasmik Oganisyan, Executive Assistant, was the team’s volunteer project leader who coordinated with Crossroads in advance regarding their specific needs.
Since 1989, Crossroads has been welcoming food insecure New Yorkers of all religions, national origins, genders, ethnicities, orientations, and abilities.
James Gabriel, Regional Director, FirstService Residential
BocaBest team had two Social Purpose events recently. On August 14 we held a bake sale fundraiser for the ASPCA. Associates baked goodies to promote the charity, and we held a raffle to win great pet accessories that were donated by local businesses. We raised $850 in donations for the ASPCA.
On the 16th we volunteered at the Broward Humane Society and raised $250.00 in donations for that charity. All in we raised $1,100.00 for the 2 charities.
The BocaBest team, under the leadership of Ivy Montero, are very proud and committed to our Social Purpose and living the Core Values of FirstService Residential.
Kathleen Helmstetter, Director Human Resources, FirstService Residential (North Region)
This is the picture of the Illinois HR, Training & Client Payroll team at a recent team volunteer event. Our team packed meal kits for children in need with the Feed My Starving Children organization.
Kelly Stevens, Director of Training & Organizational Development
The Minnesota Team at the Bloomington office participated in a walk called Strides to SAVE Lives, which raises money to educate and support around suicide awareness. FirstService MN has walked together since 2019.
Christina Forbes, President, Manhattan Co-op/Condo Division, FirstService Residential (New York – North Region)
On Friday, Aug. 2, the NYC team headed to Friends of Karen in Salem, New York, where they:
- Provided school supplies for 20 families
- Prepped 37 packages for shipping
- Stuffed and prepped 46 individual backpacks for children in need
Friends of Karen provides emotional, financial, and advocacy support for children with a life-threatening illness and their families to help keep them stable, functioning, and able to cope.
Jaide Graham, HR Specialist, FirstService Residential
We helped restore the butterfly garden in one of the SOS Children’s Villages communities. We took out the old flowers and planted new ones leaving the children with a beautiful butterfly garden for the summer!
Lisseth Montecinos, Senior HR Specialist, Benefits & Wellness, Planned Companies
We completed the 2nd annual Planned Companies Back to School Supply Drive. It’s our honor to continue to give to under resourced children and make a difference in their lives as well as their families. We want to encourage others to do the same with the hope that one day all children walk into their first day of school with the essential tools they need to succeed.
Kaitlin Buccheri, Communications and Engagement Manager, FirstService Residential
The EAST HR team and the new Workers Compensation and Safety Manager, Ranae Brenner, from the South Region, joined forces with us to assist our local Monmouth County, NJ food bank, Fulfill, in the sort room. We were responsible for helping sort through donations and packed over 100 bags for kids going back to school in need of school supplies and for households that are in need of personal hygiene products. We learned a lot about our community and how efficient we can be with just donating a few hours of our time.
Alison Zuffi, Insurance Director, FirstService Residential, New York (North Region)
On Wed., Aug. 8, the Insurance Department (New York team) hosted a team building event during which associates got to know each other better while writing thank you cards. More than a dozen thoughtful thank you letters were written and delivered by the team to other associates in the company who have made a difference for them. This checked off two boxes on the Random Act of Kindness Bingo Card!
According to Insurance Director Alison Zuffi, “It was a great activity that we all enjoyed. While together, we began planning our team outing, which will incorporate a volunteer opportunity that we can do as a team outside of the office next month.”
Taqiyya Williams, Applications Processor, FirstService Residential, New York (North Region)
Several members of the Applications Department participated in a volunteer project hosted by New York Cares at the Salvation Army in Harlem on Thursday, August 15th. The name of the event was: Support Packing Backpacks for NYC Students.
“Our team worked together and filled 160+ backpacks with school supplies for young NYC students in preparation for the upcoming school year and designed some fun bookmarks for the students,” according to team organizer Taqiyya Williams. “We all left feeling great knowing that we contributed to such a great cause.”
Colleen Kelly, Events and Campaign Manager, Marketing & Communications, FirstService Residential, New York (North Region)
Members of the current class of New York Emerging Leaders headed to the Salvation Army in Harlem on Thursday, August 15 to participate in a Summer of Service volunteer project. Organized through New York Cares, the team spent several hours filling 286 backpacks with notebooks, rulers, folders, pencils, and other school supplies which will be given to students in need in New York City. The team was part of a larger group of volunteers who stuffed more than 2,000 backpacks – 500 more than the New York Cares organizers anticipated.
“It was a great way to have fun and give back with a great group of associates from various departments and teams,” reports Colleen Kelly, Events and Campaign Manager, Marketing & Communications.
Kelly Keleman, Accounts Receivable Coordinator, FirstService Residential, New York (North Region)
On Friday August 16, members of the Accounts Receivable team paid a visit to Harlem’s Salvation Army in support of New York Cares’ annual backpacking initiative. With the goal to sort, pack, and box over 19,000 backpacks for the upcoming 2024/2025 school year, the Accounts Receivable team hit the ground running, providing necessary school supplies to less fortunate students across the city.
“It feels good to give back to the communities we grew up in,” said Kelly Keleman, Accounts Receivable Coordinator. “Making friends and making a difference along the way!”
The event was set up with different stations for you to apply yourself as you seem fit. Stations varied from packing backpacks with supplies, helping create boxes to place the filled backpacks in, and a creative area in which you could design bookmarks for the students. Though most of the volunteers did not know each other, that did not stop the group from being extremely friendly and sharing any supplies they had that other tables were missing. It was a great environment to be a part of with music blasting and everyone singing and dancing along together as one big family.
As the last box was packed up, we all gathered around and cheered as we place this core memory in the pocket of our hearts, knowing that we played a part in making a positive impact.
Andrea L. Johnson, Community Manager, FirstService Residential
Each year for the past five (5) years I go back to Jamaica where I am from to host an annual back to school drive under the name “York Town Community Youth And Development – No Child Left Behind”. The drive focused on donating 500 backpacks stuffed with composition books, pencils, pens, crayons, coloring books, glue, rulers, pencil cases, sharpeners, binders, and binder leaves to 500 kids from seven communities.
In addition to the backpacks and supplies, I’ve had four doctors on board to provide medical examination to the students as required by the schools. This saves each parent a total of US$20 to US$100 per child. This year, Dr. Dixon and I are almost at the finish line in getting a 14-year male student fitted for his hearing aide. Something we have been trying to get done for 5 years.
On the day of the drive, we start at 8am. Breakfast, snacks and lunch are served to the children, parents, security staff and volunteers.
Cost –
90% of the cost associated with this drive is funded by me. My goal is to be registered as a 501(c)(3); however, the cost to complete the process has put a paused on the effort.
Donations:
Doctors services
Backpacks – 500 max
composition books – 2500 max
Pencils – 4000 max
Pens -3000 max
rulers – 500 max
Crayons -250 packs of 12 max
Glue – 250 max
Coloring books – 150 max
Pencil cases – 500 max
Erasers – 500 packs max
Drinks – 30 cases
Water – 30 cases
Snacks – feeds 500 kids
Donations Received – $2,830.00
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