PaperSeed Day: Giving Back Around the Globe

On Friday, May 20th, CellMark employees from around the world left their desks behind and gave back to their communities, participating in the first global PaperSeed Day.

In 2015, the CellMark Management team generously agreed to give employees a paid half-day to contribute and volunteer. The PaperSeed Foundation assembled kits to help CellMark employees plan the volunteer day and sent them to every major CellMark office around the globe.

In some offices, PaperSeed Local Committee members headed up the effort. These are groups of CellMark employees who have a strong desire to give back to their communities. They work independently of the foundation, but receive support and guidance as needed in order to be successful in their local efforts. Many of the PaperSeed Local teams have established relationships with Non Profits and NGOs in their area, and chose to use their volunteer day to deepen their impact with these organizations.

Volunteers in Hong Kong spent their morning chopping vegetables and preparing meals for Food Angels, a local NGO whose mission is “Waste Not, Hunger Not.” Their clever approach to ending hunger in their community is to collect healthy and consumable ingredients from grocers that may otherwise be thrown away. Brian Lam described the activity:

“We were not well trained.  But we did our best to make sure the meal boxes could be sent out the door on time.  We sweated.  Well, we also left with smiles on our faces as we knew we contributed.”

PaperSeed Japan participated in a Walk-a-Thon around the Yokohama Bay Area. Proceeds from the walk went to the World Food Programme, which is dedicated to ending child hunger. Others team members who could not participate in the event chose to donate to the World Food Programme.

PaperSeed California put on their gloves and did a variety of outdoor beautification projects for a local childcare facility, the Fairfax San-Anselmo Children’s Center (FSACC). FSACC provides essential childcare services to working families, starting from infancy and going up through 5th grade. The center also provides family support services like workshops and a monthly men’s group. Due to budget constrictions, FSACC has no maintenance or grounds-keeping staff. The California team performed some essential upkeep such as spreading new mulch in the playgrounds, weeding and readying two gardens for summer planting, and picking up trash around the grounds. A few colleagues who couldn’t participate put on a hot dog lunch for the volunteers at the office, before they left for their afternoon of work. PaperSeed California President, Megan Lima, remarked:

For PaperSeed Day volunteers, it finally clicked, and everyone understood why we chose the Center as our beneficiary for our annual backpack drive and the holiday Giving Tree last year: it’s truly special.

PaperSeed Gothenburg offered their coworkers an amazing six different activities, which enabled people to participate at any level they could. At the office, they held a sports equipment drive and accepted donations for their weekly fika (for those unfamiliar, the word has no direct translation, but fika is all about socializing and enjoying snacks with peers.) Others did grounds maintenance for a national competence centre that provides programs for youth with disabilities. Some went to the Church of Sweden, where new immigrants are living temporarily while they are waiting for their residence permits. CellMark employees brought pastries donated by a local bakery and had fika with the new arrivals. Last but not least, some CellMark employees went out to help clean and organize two different thrift shops run by an organization working for children’s rights, Erikshjälpen.

PaperSeed Norwalk put together a golf tournament fundraiser that brought in over $75,000 for the foundation’s local and global work! The tournament was held at the Wee Burn Country Club and had approximately 80 golfers in attendance. The PaperSeed Norwalk committee chose Project Music as their local beneficiary for the tournament. Project Music provides afterschool music education to underprivileged children in the Stamford area.

PaperSeed Stamford and other employees from Chemicals and Metals donned matching green shirts and took a bus out to Trailblazer Academy, a school that serves students who need specialized attention to achieve academic success. There, they spent the afternoon playing board games, doing arts and crafts, and participating in a physical competition with students from grades 6, 7, and 8. Catherine Cummiskey commented:

“Taking time out of our busy lives to help others that are less fortunate is a good way to show that we, CellMark, care about the communities where we are present and this is also living our Guiding Principles.”

CellMark employees from the Belgium office celebrated PaperSeed day by participating in a variety of volunteer activities. Some helped translate medical articles for a non profit newsletter, while another group aided the elderly on an excursion. Others helped put on a yearly get-together for Uilenspel, a local organization that helps youth with learning disabilities. Regardless of the activity they participated in, they left feeling inspired and happy.

Though activities varied from place to place, the spirit remained the same: PaperSeed Local Committees went above and beyond to create a meaningful volunteer experience for their coworkers. Their presence in the community and dedication to giving back truly is a reflection of CellMark Cares- one of the CellMark’s five Guiding Principles. What’s wonderful is how CellMark attracts people who want to make an impact, both at home and abroad. PaperSeed is lucky to have not just the support of CellMark, but the people who work for CellMark around the world and offer their time and energy to our cause.