Living Our Values: Our Largest-Ever Volunteer Day
Scout's core values -- teamwork, mission orientation, integrity, intelligence, safety, and initiative -- drive and guide our work. As we gathered for our annual Volunteer Day in Boulder last month, our values were on full display in our home community in Colorado. Our largest Volunteer Day ever saw employees spread out across Boulder to give their time to some of the fantastic local organizations in our City.
City of Boulder Community Centers
Two teams of Scouts working with the City of Boulder rolled up their sleeves at two of our three recreation ("rec") centers, removing weeds and cleaning debris from the green natural areas around the centers. The team ensured an optimal approach to the task at hand.
Director of People and Culture Eric Kaufmann noted the team's intelligent approach was centered around safety. "We held a safety meeting, reviewed correct tool usage before starting our work, and formed small sub-teams that supported each other in the movement of debris, making the work more efficient."
The three rec centers in Boulder -- East, North, and South -- are committed to bettering Boulder through collective action and the empowerment of the local community. In addition to bringing people together, they work in conjunction with Boulder Parks and Recreation to contribute to important projects across the city of Boulder, like helping to complete the underpass at the busiest and most accident-prone intersection in Boulder to protect the members of the community and improve the flow of traffic through the city. Thank you for all you do!
Meals on Wheels
Back at the office on 29th Street, another team of Scouts worked with our local Meals on Wheels, creating cheerful cards for the program's meal recipients. Where creativity wasn't on full display (and in many cases, it was), enthusiasm and initiative filled the gap.
"My artistic skills were definitely lacking," Tax Manager Hunter Holloway said, "but hanging out with Scouts outside the normal working environment gave me the opportunity to make connections with colleagues I had not met."
Meals on Wheels provides nutritious meals to Boulder residents who may not have access to good nutrition, with over 2.7 million meals delivered every year. We're grateful for the opportunity to brighten someone's day by contributing to the warmth and care that Meals on Wheels extends to the Boulder community.
EcoCycle
At EcoCycle, one of the nation's oldest and largest nonprofit recyclers, a fourth cohort of Scouts took a tour of the local recycling facility before undertaking trash cleanup efforts at the organization's Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials (CHaRM) facility. Recycling education is extremely important, and Scouts took many lessons to heart.
"I appreciated the new connection that was formed with EcoCycle," Associate Project Manager Charissa Verdoorn said, "especially with their focus on hard-to-recycle items, and I am curious if we can consult with them in the future about ways to reduce waste."
With the goal of zero-waste initiatives, EcoCycle has been involved in the Boulder County community since 1976 and advocates for zero-waste solutions to promote a more sustainable future. EcoCycle's well-regarded approach has made it a destination for recycling programs across the country looking to learn by example. We look forward to applying lessons from the tour and take initiative and improve recycling efforts at the Scout office wherever possible, reinforcing our integrity as a company whose mission is centered in building a cleaner tomorrow.
Growing Gardens
The final team of Scouts spent their day weeding, gardening, and planting at Growing Gardens, a Boulder-based organization that has brought regenerative agriculture education and food donations to over 136,000 Boulder County residents over the past 25 years. Even for those not on our Garden Committee, the task left an impression.
"As someone new to Boulder, I haven't had much of a chance to explore the city beyond the office, and it was great to learn more about grassroots-level ecological initiatives.," said Project Finance Associate Divit Srivastava. "Growing up, my mom often put me on gardening duty, so this felt familiar too."
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Scout Volunteer Day means more than just a day away from the office, it means a chance to connect with each other and drive positive change in our community. Volunteer Day gives us an opportunity to grow closer as colleagues and to live through our values at Scout by giving back. As we grow, we look forward to growing and amplifying our impact in the years to come. Thank you to all the Scouts who made the day a success, and thank you to the City of Boulder and its amazing organizations that make our city an amazing place to live and work.
