Involvement
Everyone gets in on the action
The unique thing about ACC’s fundraising philosophy is that they don’t just cut cheques from the executive office, they collectively roll up their sleeves and raise money $1 at a time. They bring homemade baked goods or fire up the barbecue for noon-hour hot dog sales. They’ve become masters at soliciting donations from friends, family, customers, vendors and anyone else they come in contact with by sharing their enthusiasm for and knowledge about their causes and the people they benefit.
Employees contribute household and garage sale items to an ongoing silent auction in the ACC lunchroom. The inventory has grown so large it occupies a significant portion of the ACC plant floor and many hours each week of sorting and pricing items. Proceeds from vending machines throughout ACC are donated to charity. What started as a used book sale, again with inventory supplied by employees, business partners and customers, has mushroomed into a permanent showcase on the ACC retail floor with an inventory of thousands of books.
Louise Nesterenko, Vice-President, personally scours book sales and garage sales to build inventory and to learn used book sellers’ trade secrets such as which books and authors sell best, and pricing and display strategies. Customers, vendors, suppliers and employees all stop by the bookstore to see what’s new on a daily basis.
Nesterenko is the driving force behind ACC’s culture of caring. "We really try to champion causes that need help," she says. "By that I mean, they really, really need our help – not just money." ACC employees have traditionally been active participants in charities or fundraising events where they see the results of their efforts first hand and are motivated to do more.
"Our employees have been known to spend their vacation time to volunteer. Employees who have left us have continued to support our charities. Hopefully, the activity and enthusiasm we have going on around here increases their self worth at the same time it’s helping people in need. Everybody buys into it, and it gives a sense of camaraderie and increases our overall wellness because it feels good," Nesterenko says.
The company directs much of its fundraising dollars and volunteer time to the Between Friends Club
for youth with disabilities, which provides social and recreational opportunities for children and
youth with disabilities.
But employees also bring other community causes to the attention of ACC and are encouraged to plug into the company’s culture of caring to benefit people and issues important to them.
"They really are unbelievable. They’re always doing something for us," says Trish Weatherup, Manager, Fund Development and Communications for the Between Friends Club. ACC has raised over $200,000 for Between Friends Club over the last 10 years through pledges and thousands of volunteer hours on Skate-a-Kid-to-Camp, the not-for-profit’s major annual fundraising event, as well as visiting and leading sing-a-longs at the camp in the summer months. "The net funds from the Skate-a-Kid-to-Camp fundraiser were $57,000 this year, and $14,000 (25%) of that came from ACC," reports Weatherup. The funds from this annual event are used specifically to provide fee subsidies to campers who might not otherwise be able to attend the Club’s summer day camp, Camp Bonaventure (Camp Bonaventure is the only camp of its kind in the city that accepts children and youth between the ages of 5-20 with any type of disability).
"For a small charity like us, to have a corporate sponsor like ACC means everything," says Weatherup. "We are supported by them in every sense of the word."
