IS Gives Back: A Year of Service
Fundamental to our company culture is a passion for service. We tend to look for opportunities to support those around us and our communities throughout a typical year. This year it feels like we’ve truly made it part of our mission. Our team has rallied behind each of our efforts and for that we are so grateful.
When the impacts of the pandemic began to affect our communities, we thought why not start a weekly take-out initiative as way to support local restaurants. Our team carried that on through a large chunk of the summer. Each week highlighting amazing places in the DC area.
We took it on step further in May and structured a virtual, socially distant event called Moves for Meals. Twenty-four hours of continuous movement to raise money for food donations for frontline workers and first responders. Our team jumped on the opportunity and through our effort we were able to provide 750 meals.
We’ve supported a variety of local food banks throughout the year. In the Spring, we made a large donation to Cornerstones Food Pantry in Reston. As part of our Fall event, we coordinated another donation to the Arlington County Food Assistance Center and were able to give 348lbs of food.
When the local school districts decided to begin the school year virtually, we offered our team a virtual learning scholarship. This allowed them to better prepare the children in their lives for a successful start to the school year.
We wanted our team to know that their health and safety is a priority, so we began providing face masks and hand sanitizers early-on. Employees were also given the option to have an antibody test. We also donated additional bottles of hand sanitizer to the nurses working at INOVA Loudoun’s COVID ICU.
Recognizing the amazing contributions our team made on our behalf we wanted to return the favor and donate to causes meaningful to them. We made donations to Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Frontline Fuel, and the Capital Area Food Bank in June.
The women of Intelligent Shift held a couple of networking events in late Summer and coordinated a generous donation to BRAWS (Bringing Resources to Aid Women's Shelters) to help local families.
In November, we started wearing red in support of R.E.D. Fridays as a way to show our support and gratitude for the brave men and women who are currently deployed.
Our rISe team spoke at the Gilman Black Alumni Leadership Institute (GBALI) in December and presented to 45 exceptional high school students in the Baltimore area. Topics discussed included diversity in STEAM and how anything is possible if they work together toward a common goal. They empowered and motivated students with their knowledge.
To wrap up the year, we’ve kicked off a Kindness Challenge. Our team has donated coats, adopted Angels through the Salvation Army, placed wreaths on tombstones at Quantico National Cemetery, and made a generous donation to Britepaths. They’ve also taken on smaller, but still meaningful, acts of kindness and have left notes and treats for their neighbors among other things.
The amazing acts of service our team has done throughout the last twelve months is astonishing. We continue to be impressed by the group of men and women who support Intelligent Shift. We’re looking forward to seeing how high we can raise the bar in 2021!