Flatiron Construction’s 2012 Giving Campaign

In December, Flatiron Construction employees and their families came together to support the communities where we work and live as part of the Annual Giving Campaign. At offices and project sites across North America, teams raised money, donated food, collected toys and volunteered for local charities.

In Vancouver, the Flatiron holiday party was all about giving back. At the event, employees raised C$5,000 through a silent auction for Covenant House, a local charity that provides shelter and services to young people. Employees also donated 85 toys to the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau at the party.

In Southern California, employees raised over $5,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help a young boy named Cesar fulfill his dream of swimming with dolphins. Flatiron matched the donation, bringing the total to over $10,000.

Employees in San Diego teamed up with the Ronald McDonald House, an organization that provides a “home-away-from-home” for families when a child is hospitalized far from where they live. Over 35 people volunteered during the campaign, serving meals and installing new beds at the facility. Employees also donated hundreds of toys for families staying in residence.

Carlos Gomez, Cameron Reid, Nicholas Cranmer and Kurt Hindman serve food at the Ronald McDonald House in San Diego.

In Northern California, 40 employees painted and installed new carpet at the East Oakland Youth Development Center in Oakland, Calif. The EOYDC provides education for youth, young adults and families in the area. Employees in Benicia also collected over 200 toys for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program and donated more than 650 pounds of food to the Food Banks of Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco and Solano Counties.

Dan Sherlock and Richard Grabinski help paint and install carpet at the East Oakland Youth Development Center in Oakland, Calif., along with 40 other Flatiron employees.

In Colorado, Flatiron once again supported OUR Center and Safe Shelter during this year’s Giving Campaign. Nearly $250 worth of various items of warmth were donated to the “Warm and Cozy” program at OUR Center, an organization that helps families get back on their feet and sustain self-sufficiency. Employees donated over $2,000 directly to the program on Colorado Gives Day, which was matched by Flatiron and increased by the FirstBank Incentive Fund. Employees also chose gift tags from a Christmas tree at company headquarters and donated more than $1,600 worth of gifts for children and moms as part of the Safe Shelter holiday gift drive.

Employees in other Flatiron offices and projects also participated in the campaign. Employees on the Interstate 405 project in Washington state collected about 30 gifts for Toys for Tots. In Utah, hundreds of items including toys, food and clothing were donated to the Salvation Army and Christmas Box House. The North Light Rail Extension project crew in Edmonton collected food and monetary donations for the Edmonton Food Bank. In all, the team raised approximately C$1,000 in food and cash, a big feat for a single project.

On the Northeast Anthony Henday Drive project in Edmonton, Flatiron worked throughout the year to solicit donations from area vendors for a silent auction. At the local holiday party, Flatiron employees bid on flat-screen TVs, an iPad, a Nintendo Wii and other amazing auction items, raising about C$6,000 by the end of the night. Flatiron matched the donations, bringing the total to C$12,000, which was donated to the Christmas Bureau of Edmonton, an organization that serves more than 65,000 people in need each holiday season.

“It was a lot of work for everyone involved.” said Northeast Anthony Henday project communications manager Vanessa Urkow, who was one of the people responsible for organizing the silent auction. “But it was a great opportunity to give back. I like knowing that we’re making a positive impact on the local community.”