We are quickly approaching one of my favorite times and days of the year at GENBAND. June typically signals the unofficial beginning of summer, but for us at GENBAND June 1^st is special because it is our annual Global Day of Service, which has become part of our fabric and DNA at GENBAND and is something our team members take extreme pride in every year.  It’s a day where GENBAND employees in virtually every country that we have a presence spend the day volunteering and giving back to non-profit organizations all over the world. This year our team members will participate in more than 75 volunteer activities in more than 25 countries.

It’s extremely powerful to see photos and videos of our employees from New York to Ottawa, to Maidenhead to Mexico City to Hong Kong doing their part to give back to their local communities and to organizations that mean the most to them. In addition to the great activities that we have planned on “GENBAND Day” many of our offices are also participating in other activities that benefit those in need and I wanted to highlight a few of those.

This year in both our Ottawa, Canada and Research Triangle Park (RTP) offices in Raleigh, North Carolina GENBAND employees raised more than $50,000 for their local United Way campaigns. Each year these employees search for ways to out-do the prior year and raise more funds to benefit the United Way.  Most of our global offices also participate in donation drives benefitting the needs of organizations in each of their communities. We’ve made large donations of food, household items, clothing, toys and gifts.

On May 17^th employees in our RTP office also held their fourth annual Charity Golf Tournament benefitting Meg’s Smiles, a local charity that provides gifts to children affected by serious illnesses. Over the years the RTP team has raised more than $15,000 for Meg’s Smiles.

On May 27^th employees from our Galway, Ireland office will be participating in a fundraising “Pop-Up Shop” during which they will be selling new clothes, electrical goods, gift ideas and toys. The proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit Jigsaw Galway, a non-profit that supports local youth with mental health issues.

On May 31^st GENBAND employees in our Plano, Texas office will be holding a “Compassion to Action” 5 kilometer (5K) walk that will begin and end at our campus, with proceeds benefiting the local charities that our team members support throughout the year as well as the recent wildfire victims in Canada.

These are just a few examples of how our team members go above and beyond simple Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) each and every year and how they are truly doing their part to make the world a better place for those who may be less fortunate or in need of a helping hand. I could go on and on with countless other examples, but I think you have a pretty good idea of why I am so proud to be a part of something that is truly unique and special.

I along with our CEO David Walsh, our EVP of Global Sales & Marketing, Patrick Joggerst, our SVP of Global Marketing, Bita Milanian and other members from our New York office will spend GENBAND Day volunteering at GrowNYC, a non-profit created in 1970 whose mission is to empower all New Yorkers to secure a clean and healthy environment for future generations.

I am looking forward to assisting in clean-up activities at their Governors Island Teaching Garden. It’s going to be a lot of hard work but it’s going to be even more fun.  I am also looking forward to seeing photos and hearing about all of the other great activities that our global team members from all over the world are participating in.

Check out our video below from last year’s Global Day of Service and follow #GBDay16 to see what we’re up to in real-time.