In order for companies to be sustainable in the times ahead, they will have to contribute to the resolution of social challenges while continuing to grow. A great place to start is right at home. Larger companies with the capacity to give back and support their local community’s well-being find reward in helping those in need. Commitment to the community can also have a positive impact on both local consumers and businesses, encouraging interest in working together and attracting new talent to the organization.
In recognition of this philosophy, Konica Minolta’s global mission is to create value for society. Based on this outlook, the company is extremely dedicated to giving back to its community and makes significant contributions in support of education and literacy, food security, health and wellness, environmental sustainability and much more. Its employees embrace every opportunity to assist those in need.
This holiday season, the South Region and GCS Call Center office in Oldsmar, Florida decided to participate in a fundraiser for Eckerd Connects Hope Tree. Through this effort, the office collected clothing and gifts for approximately 100 foster children that are in need this holiday season. The donations will help provide some comfort to kids whose lives may otherwise be turned upside down.
This was the first office-wide fundraiser since the opening of the Oldsmar center a year ago, and helped bring together all the different groups located there. The individual commitment to a group effort is what makes our Konica Minolta family so great!
Eckerd Connects is a pioneering youth services organization dedicated to helping kids succeed. The organization is committed to helping people in the areas they need it most: child welfare, workforce development, and juvenile justice. One of its many areas of service includes assistance to children in foster care.
Did you know that every two minutes a child is removed from his or her home due to abuse or neglect? Unfortunately, in these dangerous situations, swift removal is necessary to protect them. This means that during holidays, weekends, and late hours of the night, children have their lives disrupted.
Sadly, even during the holidays, a child will enter into foster care. By hosting this Eckerd Connects Hope Tree event in our office we provided much-needed essentials to youth coming into the foster care system.
But above all, we provided them some normalcy in the midst of a traumatic experience in their lives. Giving them HOPE!
Kids do not ask to come into the foster care system; they are brought there as victims. They often enter foster care having only the clothes on their backs, seldom have a toothbrush and carry the few belongings they have in a trash bag. The process can be very traumatic and leave them feeling less than human as their belongings are treated like garbage. Providing these children with hope and dignity is essential to their ability to heal.
Eckerd Connects Raising Hope provides emergency and comfort items for kids entering the foster care system.
Rooms of Hope are set up like small stores and are filled with fresh clothing, pajamas, shoes, hygiene items, diapers, school supplies and other necessities donated through Hope Trees. The kids come in and are able to “no-cost shop” for the items they not only need, but deserve. And every child receives a new duffel bag for their belongings—no more trash bags!
Through Rooms of Hope, kids can have items to call their own when everything else they had has been lost. Plus, they are able to retain their dignity and have hope during a very traumatic time in their lives.
For more information and to see how you can help, visit eckerd.org
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