Who benefits from community service after all?
According to Business News Daily, “an employee volunteer program can help improve culture in the organization as well as giving employees a chance to find common ground”. Other benefits to employees include enhanced communication and social skills, critical thinking and problem solving skills, community awareness, self confidence and self-esteem.
After joining Price Edwards Company in December of 1993, it didn’t take long for me to discover Price Edwards was all in with the Oklahoma City community service world. Since 1988, the company has supported many different non-profits such as Infant Crisis Services, Positive Tomorrows, American Heart Association, Allied Arts, The YMCA, The Jesus House, City Rescue Mission and Festival of the Arts just to name a few.
In 2008 with all my experiences with the Price Edwards community service projects, I was able to identify a need and to have the courage to start a foundation that would supply holiday meals to families who may not have the means to provide a family meal themselves. Starting slowly, my wife and I cooked 100 meals out of our house and delivered boxes full of food to 10 different needy families. Now, our nearly 700 annual volunteers supply 10,000 meals each holiday season out of three different venues.
I’m confident if I wasn’t encouraged by the Price Edwards partners to get involved with community service projects, I wouldn’t have seen the need to support families and the courage to start the “Dinner with Love Foundation”.
If you own your own business, find a need in your community and support it, and encourage your employees to get involved. Start a community service program in your office and find out what your staff is passionate about. This will be one of the best investments your company will ever make.
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give” – Winston Churchill
