The Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the U.S. is #GivingTuesday — a day to encourage generosity in the holiday season and year-round. At Acquia, #GiveBackMore is part of our core DNA, and we are encouraged to contribute to the community with our time, talent and resources. It’s inspiring to work for a company that values giving to the community and empowers each team member to support the causes that matter to us.
Season of Giving
Team members across the globe are getting in the giving spirit. One of the most heartwarming give back initiatives we host at Acquia is our annual holiday gift drive in Boston to support the Wonderfund. Every year, the Wonderfund distributes holiday presents to 40,000 children engaged with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. In our fifth year supporting the organization, Acquians are spreading some holiday joy and buying gifts for 250 children.
In the U.K., our colleagues are participating in a charity day with Sebastian’s Action Trust. They’ll be decorating the Woodlands facility, which offers respite holidays to seriously ill children and their families. Our Reading office also looks forward to celebrating Christmas Jumper Day to raise money and support Save the Children.
To celebrate Children’s Day in India, our Pune office recently hosted underprivileged kids to share in snacks, crafts and smiles. Twelve members of our team partnered with 20 kids from the Somnath Vidyalaya School to make 100 kaleidoscopes as part of the celebration.
Everyday Giving
While the holiday season inspires acts of generosity, #GiveBackMore is not limited to only the last couple of months of the year for Acquia. Each of our three Engage user conferences this year encouraged our delegates to also embrace our culture of giving back. We raised more than $3,200 for Vision Australia at Engage APAC, £3,400 for Cancer Research UK and Water Aid at Engage Europe, and nearly $11,000 for Girls Who Code at Engage North America!
In our day-to-day work, we also have the opportunity to assist non-profit organizations. Alongside our customers and partners, we’re able to impact the lives of others in a positive way, such as by helping the Epilepsy Foundation revamp its web presence and enable personalized content for users and working with World Vision International to create a cohesive experience for users and potential donors across its main global site and many regional digital properties. It’s rewarding to collaborate with customers and partners who share a commitment to enriching the community and using technology to do so.
Giving Back Together
Throughout the year Acquians are giving back to their community in all sorts of ways in their off time, and fellow Acquians are rallying around them. When we hear of team members participating in charitable activities for the causes they’re passionate about, we support them with donations, words of encouragement, spreading awareness and more. While each individual’s contribution has an impact, we know that we are stronger together.
Acquians contributed to numerous causes that are near and dear to them. Drew Webber ran the Swansea Half Marathon in support of Diabetes UK. Our Talent Team volunteered with Cradles to Crayons in Boston. Jeff Beeman played 24 hours of games in the Extra Life fundraising marathon, where fellow Acquians helped him reach his fundraising goal to aid Phoenix Children’s Hospital. A group of ambitious Acquians ran a Tough Mudder in London to raise more than £3,300 for World Wildlife Foundation. Angie Byron slept outside for one wintry night and raised awareness and critical funds for Covenant House Vancouver and the homeless youth the organization serves.
This is just a small handful among the dozens of fundraisers, clothing and supply drives, volunteering activities and other give-back efforts that Acquians participated in this year. While this spirit of giving back stems from our history in the open source community, it now extends to every aspect of our life and we aim to live up to the motto of #GiveBackMore 365 days a year.
