Looking Back at Benesch’s Year of Giving
During a year that required people to keep their physical distance, Benesch employees still found safe ways to come together and support their communities. Throughout 2020, employees donated both time and money to various causes.
Contributions included a special year-end donation driven by Benesch clients, partners and colleagues. Each December, Benesch selects three charitable organizations to receive a portion of a $10,000 year-end donation. To help distribute the funds, Benesch invites our professional and personal contacts to share in the joy of giving by casting votes—with $1 for every vote—for the organization of their choice.
Based on the voting results, donations were as follows:
- St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital –$5,000
- Feeding America –$3,500
- The Nashville Food Project –$1,500
2020 in Review
The Corporate Social Responsibility team at Benesch facilitated a wide range of activities and initiatives across the company to improve the communities where our employees live and work.
Summer of Service
Despite challenges brought by COVID-19, Benesch’s sixth annual Summer of Service program included the cleanup of roadways and waterways across the country. Following safety protocols, volunteers were able to remove trash from roadways in Kansas City, KS, clean rivers and waterways via kayak in Glastonbury, CT, and clear litter from a streambank in Charlotte, NC. Benesch looks forward to an eventful Summer of Service in 2021!
Food Drive
Benesch’s annual food drive yielded record-setting donations! Across 29 offices, donation totals reached 33,493 items, nearly 15,000 more than the previous year. In addition to individual contributions and coordinated grocery orders, employees made cash donations throughout the week and utilized the firm’s gift-matching program to help the money go even further.
Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, Benesch saw record-breaking participation in our annual food drive in 2020.
Scholarships
As part of Benesch’s internship program, the company awarded one $1,000 scholarship and four $500 scholarships to individual student interns who went above and beyond during their summers with Benesch. Our on-going scholarships through various universities totaled more than $20,000.
Giving
Over the summer, Benesch donated $10,000 to the National Council for Minorities in Engineering and $10,000 to the Equal Justice Initiative. Benesch also offered an employee matching program for donations to groups supporting racial justice. Additionally, on Giving Tuesday alone employees donated over $9,000—all matched by Benesch.
The Nashville office organized a division specific initiative through Hands on Nashville to aid areas impacted by the March tornado. Benesch volunteers took part in the cleanup effort and a $5,000 donation was made to the organization.
Benesch also supported the Glastonbury Jackhammers in Connecticut as they pitched in to build a new home for a family in need as part of Habitat for Humanity.
The work we do in planning, designing and constructing infrastructure serves a common purpose: improving the communities we share. Since its inception, Benesch’s CSR Committee has established a wide range of corporate giving initiatives to further serve that purpose. Our passion for our communities drives Benesch to donate our time and talents to worthy causes that further connect us to the people we serve every day.
