By now you’ve likely noticed that December 1 is Giving Tuesday – an annual occasion that widely celebrates and encourages giving back and doing good.
To mark this year’s event, we’re proud to share a few ways HAC Members are giving to those in need during this especially challenging holiday season.
At Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB), where HAC Board Member Jeremy Bamberger is an architect, the firm decided (at Jeremy’s suggestion) to instead donate the funds they would have spent on holiday parties.
SCB set up seven employee groups across their San Francisco and Chicago offices and allocated each group $8,500 for nonprofit donations for a total of nearly $60k in contributions. Some of the excellent organizations SCB groups selected for donations include:
The Interact Project – A Bay Area based nonprofit that works with high school students in underrepresented communities to raise awareness of design as a career path with the ultimate goal of bringing more designers of color into the professions.
Hip Hop Architecture Camp – A high quality camp for under-served youth that prides itself on removing the financial barriers involved with participation in high quality programs for communities who are underrepresented in careers related to S.T.E.A.M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts/Architecture and Math).
One Fair Wage – A charity that provides temporary cash assistance to hospitality and gig workers who are unemployed or underemployed due to the current Covid/economic crisis.
Over at Allen Matkins, we were also delighted to learn from law firm partner and HAC Board Member Caroline Guibert Chase that the firm launched a virtual “Together as One” campaign to raise funds for Feeding America’s local California chapters serving the communities in which Allen Matkins operates.
To that end, the firm is asking clients, friends, family, and various industry partners to upload a photo, or photos, to create a festive mosaic – photos of themselves, family, coworkers, recent or exciting projects, etc. For each photo uploaded, Allen Matkins will donate $25, up to $25,000, to support Feeding America’s local California chapters serving the communities in which the firm operates.
According to Feeding America, $1.00 can provide 10 meals to families in need this holiday season through their network of food banks. So the goal is to provide 250,000 meals to families in need.
And last, but not least, we also recommend getting to know the work of HAC Members Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco, Brilliant Corners and The Construction Industry Workforce Initiative who are working hard every day to build a more affordable, compassionate, and inclusive Bay Area.
Are you a HAC Member with a great giving back story? Please contact deborah at sfhac dot org and we’ll share in our next newsletter. And many thanks again to all for helping those who need it most!
