Ribbon Day 2021: Uniting through a Special Day of Service and Giving Back

At Ribbon, we have had the tradition to take one day each year to reach out to our local communities and give back our team’s time and talents to non-profit organizations who work every day in the service of others.

Now that the global pandemic is more under control, the Ribbon team was so excited to safely gather and partner with local, national, and global organizations to support their missions to bring desperately needed resources to those in need and to say thank you to those who work every day to make life better.

As our organization has grown double in size over the past two years, so has this annual program, turning “Ribbon Day”, our Global Day of Service, into a week-long series of opportunities for our team members to participate in volunteering activities and events around the world.

Ribbon Day is a special time for us to recognize our employees and the year-round spirit of giving and volunteerism. All the legacy companies that have combined to create Ribbon have had a long history, in some cases decades, of volunteering and giving back to their local communities.

This year, I am proud to announce that nearly 700 team members spent approximately 2,500 hours during the week supporting more than 50 non-profit organizations in every major global region of the world.

During the week, Ribbon employees supported non-profits ranging from some of the most well-known charities like the Make-a-Wish Foundation to local organizations that may have special meaning to them.

Make-a-Wish Israel, which is part of a global organization in 45 countries, grants transformational wishes to children between the ages of 3-18 with critical illnesses.

“This is the fifth year that Ribbon has made a difference in these children's lives by helping to grant their one true wish,” said Denise Bar-Aharon, Co-Founder & CEO, Make-A-Wish Israel. “During that time Ribbon has donated more than 40,000 shekels via their annual fair at which Ribbon employees work diligently to sell products and food to make as many wishes as possible come true during "Good Deeds Day" in Israel.”

Ms. Bar-Aharon added, “Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Ribbon team won’t be hosting an annual fair this year, however they will still take part in the adoption, planning and execution of another magical wish. We are extremely grateful and proud to work with a true committed partner who supports us no matter what is going on in our world!”

As the leader of human resources for Ribbon, this is my favorite day – and time – of the year. It is so inspiring to see the photos and videos of our team members participating together in activities, and to have the honor to coordinate with so many amazing non-profits who allow us into their world and to contribute to their ongoing efforts.

Another thing that makes Ribbon Day so special is that it naturally ties into our Core Values of TEAM, PASSION, CUSTOMER, INNOVATION and TRUE (Transparency, Respect, Unpretentious, Empowerment). What my colleagues do on Ribbon Day (and year-round) really exemplifies our  values and I could not be prouder to be a part of such a special team.

There are so many great stories of how our team members give back all-year round. An especially touching program is called Operation HerStory, which honors veteran women who served in the United States Armed Forces. In October, nearly 100 female veterans were flown from Chicago, Illinois to Washington D.C. to participate in a day-long celebration honoring their past service to the United States. Our very own Michael Cooper, Director of Analysts Relations, who serves as a year-round volunteer for Honor Flight Chicago took part in this first all-women flight and captured more than 1,000 photos of the day’s activities! The story was even covered on national news! This is just one of countless examples of how Ribbon team members step up daily.

Following are additional activities that team members participated in throughout the week:

• Some members of the Plano team spent the day landscaping a maternity home (a special home for women who need temporary shelter during their pregnancy and for a few months afterwards).
• Some Ottawa team members prepared lunches and snacks for residents of the Debra Dynes Family House for low-income families.
• Some Germany team members worked with Gain International sorting school bags and clothes that will be sent to poor countries.
• The UK team spent the day planting 3,000 trees at a community park.
• Team members in Japan sorted donated relief supplies at the Food Bank Kanagawa Organization.
• The Mexico team organized and delivered boxes of food to 150 children with cancer and their families.
• The India team participated in several activities that ranged from benefitting the environment to helping the underprivileged, including planting trees outside the Ribbon office in Bangalore, spending the day with children with special needs (autism, downs syndrome, cerebral palsy), spending the day with orphaned and homeless children, and spending the day with impoverished children. The team in Bangalore even donated household items to the custodial, security and building staff.

Thank you to our employees that coordinated activities in 16 countries, all our generous and caring team members who volunteered, and to the organizations we admire and look forward to supporting year-round. Service unites us.

We’ve put together a photo album capturing some of the activities shared by team members from around the world; we are inspired by our global team and invite everyone to contribute their time and talent to great causes, as they have.