Aug 19 2015
Basis Technologies

Centrons Making a Difference

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Across the country, Centrons strive to give back to the community through volunteer efforts with a desire to make a difference in others’ lives. Check out a few of the organizations and places we’ve been lucky enough to commit our time to:

Big Brothers Big Sisters
Bowling for Kids’ Sake Tournament
Dallas

Each year half a million people across America come together to have fun and raise money to support Big Brothers Big Sisters, an organization that helps children realize their potential and build futures through mentoring programs. Our Dallas team decided to give back to the organization by raising money and taking part in a Bowling for Kids’ Sake tournament to raise community awareness of the challenges faced by local children. For more information on the organization, visit http://www.bbbs.org/

Camp Kindle
HIV/AIDS Relief
Los Angeles

Camp Kindle has one mission in mind: to improve the quality of life for young people infected with or affected by HIV and AIDS. The camps provide HIV infected and affected youth residing throughout the central and western United States with a safe and accepting refuge from the challenges of living with HIV. A few peeps in our LA office volunteered to setup for the camp’s evening program, by helping prepare a carnival-themed night. They also had dinner with the kids, sang camp songs and ran activities during the program. To learn more about Camp Kindle, check out the camp’s website http://www.projectkindle.org/.

The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp
Children with Terminal Diseases
Connecticut

At The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, children diagnosed with cancer, sickle cell anemia, HIV/AIDS, hemophilia and other serious and life-threatening conditions participate in activities that include archery, mini golf, swimming, boating, fishing, horseback riding, and arts and crafts – all designed to include every child and ensure that no child will fail. Our New York office took a trip to Connecticut to learn more about the camp, paint fences and setup cabins for the new camping session. Check out the camp’s video library on its website, http://www.teamholeinthewall.org/, to learn more.

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Light the Night Walk
New York City, Boston, and Chicago

The Light the Night Walk is a fundraising campaign of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) which brings together families and communities to honor blood cancer survivors, as well as those lost to the diseases, and shine a light on the importance of finding cures and providing access to treatments for blood cancer patients. Centrons across three of our main hubs: New York City, Boston, and Chicago have raised funds for walks in their respective regions. For more information, visit www.lightthenight.org.

Columbia Explorers Academy
Letters to Santa
Chicago

Every holiday season, Centro participates in the Chicago Sun-Times’ Letters to Santa program by being Santa to children in need. The program works with schools, social service agencies and shelters in poverty-stricken neighborhoods to identify children who are in need of assistance. The Chicago office expects to receive over 50 letters from the Columbia Explorers Academy, a K-8 school located on the southwest side of Chicago, where 97.9% of the students who attend come from low income families. Centrons in the Chicago office read through their letters and will help Santa deliver gifts to these students.

Revive Crotona Park
Park Cleanup at Digitas LBI
New York

Two Centrons from the New York office supported and participated in Digitas LBI’s community service day. A combination of overuse and limited resources had left areas of Crotona Park in the Bronx community in need of restoration. The group traveled to the park with one goal in mind: reviving it. They spent the day picking up garbage, raking, mulching, planting, and more.

Jackson Chance Foundation
Playing It Forward Ping Pong Ball Tournament
Chicago

The Jackson Chance Foundation (JCF) was instituted in an effort to enrich the lives of families with babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago by allowing the families to spend more time with their babies. The group provides transportation and parking to families to ease the burden of the astounding parking fees that are preventing too many families from visiting their children. Centrons took part in the Second Annual Playing it Forward Ping Pong Ball, which featured four hours of table tennis fun with rounds of games and matches between event attendees, with all proceeds benefiting the Jackson Chance Foundation. For more information on the foundation, check out www.jacksonchance.org.

Children With Hair Loss (CWHL)
Hair Donation
Chicago

Children With Hair Loss was created as a resource for all children who have medically-related hair loss. It is the organization’s mission to empower these children to become whole again by making hair replacement available to those who may be financially challenged and might otherwise not have a means of obtaining the hair they want and need. One of our Centrons in the Chicago office graciously donated eight inches of her hair to the organization. To learn more about CWHL or to learn how to donate your own hair, visithttp://www.childrenwithhairloss.us/.

Direct Relief for Ebola
T-Shirt Drive
South Africa

Ebola is a disease that is rapidly killing thousands of people in West Africa, and in several other parts of the world. Organizations like Direct Relief and UNICEF are trying to provide aid, but they are lacking the funding and supplies needed to make the desired impact. A Centron in our Chicago office designed a t-shirt inspired by a microscopic view of a blood clot (that also resembled the African continent and a heart!) and reached out to the entire company for sales. All of the proceeds benefitted Direct Relief for Ebola.

As Green As It Gets
Environmental Improvement
Guatemala

A group of Centrons spent a week in Guatemala working with As Green As It Gets, an organization that is dedicated to providing economic, environmental, and social improvements by supporting the local community through various projects.  Some members of the group helped coffee farmers harvest their crops and complete agricultural duties, while others helped build a Guatemalan school. Several peeps also had the opportunity to participate in an artisan workshop where they learned how to craft and produce a product alongside a local artisan. To learn more about the impact of this organization, check out http://www.asgreenasitgets.org/.