Corporate Volunteerism in Full Bloom
At the Y, we connect organizations and businesses that want to give back to their communities with people and programs that need the help.
Read this testimony from Huntsman Architectural Group, a local San Francisco company making an impact in our Mission District community:
“Our company recently started a philanthropy program and we were looking for a partner to help facilitate a month of giving- we found the perfect partner in the YMCA. At two events, the Chinatown Food Pantry and the Mission Garden, we gathered our employees to connect with the community, get their hands dirty and make a difference where we live.
As it turned out we choose one of the hottest days of summer to volunteer in the garden at Mission YMCA. Each of us had varying experience with gardening, but we had an amazing teacher in Luis, who runs the garden. We also taught each other, which made the experience even more meaningful.
Our mission was to complete as much as we could in the time we had in the garden. That day we planted one apple tree, lavender, snap peas, lettuce, and carrots. We worked pretty efficiently so we had some time to mix up a couple of mud pies–one of our employee’s special recipes. Spending the day out of the office with our hands in the dirt was a gift in and of itself, but knowing that our work will positively impact the kids at the center made us feel amazing about the day. A few members of our team had the added bonus adventure of helping the kids at snack time.
“It was great to learn more about the Y’s mission and all the ways they serve the community,” said Alaina Ladner, a Senior Associate at Huntsman Architectural Group. “I love that they have integrated edible gardens into their playground and hope the kids enjoy the fruits (or snap peas) of our labor.”
“Volunteering with the YMCA was a special experience. They are an organization making a difference in so many lives and we are so proud to support their programs. You can guarantee we will continue our partnership with the YMCA with future projects.”
– Liz Vieira, Marketing Manager at Huntsman Architectural Group
