As the weather cools and leaves begin to change, Benesch’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee brings another successful Summer of Service to a close.
From spring to fall each year, CSR representatives encourage their colleagues to roll up their sleeves in support of their local communities. Offices coordinate their own unique volunteer events, recruiting staff, friends and family to make a difference where they live and work.
So far this year, 16 Benesch locations and over 130 volunteers have completed a Summer of Service event.
Getting Our Hands Dirty
Several of our offices weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty this summer.
In Glastonbury, CT, Benesch employees partnered with GZA Environmental and Cisco Drilling to clean up the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) Air Line State Park Trail and the Jeremy River. Together, the team removed 61 tires from the Jeremy River.
In Charlotte, NC, volunteers joined the Adopt-A-Stream project, cleaning a section of Coffey Creek and collecting more than five shopping carts worth of trash and debris. Wilmington, NC volunteers teamed with the Cape Fear Chapter of Surfriders.org, collecting over 80 pounds of garbage and three bags of recyclable plastics and aluminum from the Trask Bridge on Wrightsville Beach.
Teams in Pottsville and Pittsburgh, PA, and Kansas City, KS also picked up litter on trailways and roadsides.
Improving Aesthetics
In some areas, volunteers took up causes that enhanced their neighborhoods.
Our Omaha, NE team partnered with their local Habitat for Humanity’s “Rock the Block” event, where volunteers worked to paint, landscape and do home repairs on one neighborhood block. In Hazleton, PA, volunteers helped the Hazleton Active Adult Center obtain grants and coordinated a kitchen renovation at the Center.
In Omaha, Benesch employees “Rocked the Block,” providing home repairs to those in need. 
In Manhattan, KS, a well-loved free bicycle service allows community members to borrow a bicycle to navigate through town. Because of damage or inconvenience, the bicycles aren’t always returned to their designated areas. Benesch employees, family and friends spent an afternoon collecting unattended bicycles and returning them to their designated areas or to the shop for repairs.
Feeding the Hungry
Supporting local food pantries is a staple practice for many of our offices.
This year, our Tennessee offices in Nashville and Brentwood, joined the Nashville Food Project’s “Cooking in the Kitchen” event. Volunteers prepped meals, weighed and sorted donated produce, washed and chopped vegetables and baked desserts. The Raleigh, NC office also supported their local food bank, sorting and bagging produce.
Salem, OH volunteers organized a full meal for 85 people in need. In Lincoln, NE, volunteers manned a food market with the local food bank and public schools. Volunteers set up a market in a school building, and distributed food to approximately 1,200 family members each month. The market and community volunteers, including several of Benesch’s Lincoln volunteers, served a total of 12,518 family members in the nine markets of the 2018-2019 school year.
We couldn’t forget our furry friends! Benesch offices in Jacksonville and Daytona Beach, FL presented their local humane society locations with food, toy and supply donations, and spent time socializing with the animals.
Making a Difference
The work we do in planning, designing and constructing infrastructure serves a common purpose: improving the communities we share. 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.
Since its inception, Benesch’s CSR Committee has established a wide range of corporate giving initiatives, including our Matching Gift Program, Intern Scholarships, Giving Tuesday, Annual Food Drive, Adopt-A-Family, Summer of Service, and more.