The United Way Day of Caring
The recent United Way Day of Caring was a great reminder of the impact we can have in the world when we come together and work towards a common goal! 52 Micro Focus employees in Provo, Utah joined with other companies in our local community for a day of service.
The day began with an energetic kick off in downtown Provo including a delicious breakfast, great music and local speakers addressing some of the pressing issues in our community. We each received our “Live United” t-shirts and as you looked out, the crowd was a sea of colorful shirts. I would estimate that several thousand volunteers were gathered and ready to get started. What an incredible sight to see so many turn out….
Rock Canyon Elementary
Micro Focus was assigned to work at a local elementary school, Rock Canyon Elementary, to do a number of projects that have been pushed off for lack of time. Volunteers worked outside on landscaping and painting playground areas as well as re-striping the parking lot, painting gates and safety poles. Additional volunteers worked to assemble hygiene kits for the students to be used as part of health courses. All of the supplies for the hygiene kits were also donated by Micro Focus employees over the past few weeks.
As I spoke with the principal, Seth Hansen, I asked him what these projects would mean for the students in his school? His answer surprised me.
Leading by example
While he said they were grateful for the help and that the kids always enjoy the playground, he said this was actually an important teaching moment for his students. He asked that his students take note of how we took time out of our day to help them. Our example was teaching them how important civic service is and that it’s part of being a community. As well as surprising me, it helped me to feel like I was giving back in more ways than just painting a playground! Our day of service is helping to influence the next generation and actively building a ‘giving back’ culture.
As employees and co-workers, we talked about how incredible it was to feel like we were doing good. Day to day, it’s easy to lose sight of how what we do adds up. Today was a tangible reminder that as a company we can create good for those around us. In fact, as we organize and come together around a common goal, we are a tremendous force for good. So, while we gave back, the truth is that we all left feeling uplifted and energized…..and who doesn’t want to feel like that every so often?
