Online Image® had the chance to give back to three different organizations during March 2017. The Online Image® sales team, along with Founder Russell Burnett joined Corporate Alliance and A Child’s Hope Foundation for opportunities to devote their time and can-do attitudes to some deserving people at home and abroad.
While Online Image® makes it a point to give financially to charities in need, the donation of time and hard work can also create a large impact in the community. Volunteering onsite often allows the people helping out to get a better sense of what charitable organizations actually provide, and how they can be better assisted in the future. Through their experiences last month, the volunteers at Online Image® were able to give their time productively and learn more about the communities they served.
Sales Team Visits Habitat For Humanity
The Online Image® sales team traveled south to Spanish Fork, UT for a day of volunteering in Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore Donation Center.
ReStore helps Habitat for Humanity’s mission by operating as both a store where people can buy used furniture or surplus building supplies as well as a revenue source for future Habitat for Humanity projects. Sales team management Josh Yohnke and Jennifer Nielson led the way by working with their team to sort through pallets, construction leftovers and paint to determine what could be reused for future building projects. It was hard
physical work and the sales team enjoyed the camaraderie working together created, and they were happy to give back to the Salt Lake Valley in a tangible way. They are excited to get back into the community for future service projects.
Online Image® Management Team Volunteers In Mexico
Online Image® Founder Russell Burnett and the management team took their global outreach to new heights when they traveled to Mexico to volunteer at two different orphanages. They each took their own kids to visit separate locations and joined a larger group of volunteers affiliated with Corporate Alliance and A Child’s Hope Foundation. Splitting up the group allowed them to maximize their impact while in the area. They were impressed by the spirit of the kids and the diligence and care of the orphanages’ coordinators. They spent 3 days in Mexico working on different services like mixing and pouring over 70 batches of concrete, painting, performing tile work and block wall masonry. In addition to the orphanages, they helped in part to create a nursery so that babies can begin to be accepted at the orphanage as well. One of the orphanages they visited offers a safe home for children with special needs, and they had a great time playing with everyone there. During their time at the facility, they joined the local children for games of volleyball, building with Legos, bubble blowing, and time on the beach among other activities. A large game of futbol featuring the kids versus volunteers broke out and of course, the kids won!
It was truly a group effort, and though they were able to make a good dent in the work that needed to be done, many tasks still remain that need to be completed in order to get the new facilities up and running. It was stressed by those in attendance that work like this is vital because many of these facilities don’t receive government funding and rely totally on the donations of time and money from outside groups. Because of the magnitude of what needs to be built at each site, the organizations accept new rounds of volunteers on a regular basis. Of the orphanage his family volunteered at, Russell says “It’s a great place with great goals for kids of all ages as well as those with special needs. What a great experience for all of us!” One of the most difficult aspects of their trip was the knowledge that Americans cannot adopt any of the children they visit at these orphanages. What they are able to do, however, is act like an aunt or uncle and maintain a meaningful relationship with them. The management team and their families were humbled and appreciative following their experiences and hope to stay in touch with the children they helped and mentored.
Join Us In Service
Even with the time the management team and their families spent volunteering, there is still plenty left to do at the orphanages they visited. When thinking about all the problems that exist in our world, it can seem like a daunting task to create hope or change, but what all of the Online Image® volunteers learned is that even one afternoon of help can improve someone’s life. If you don’t have the means to volunteer on a global scale, take a look at opportunities in your own neighborhood. Every compassionate step taken creates momentum toward realizing the bigger goals of humanitarian efforts across the globe. We hope you join us in reflecting on what actions you can take in your own community or one abroad to improve the welfare of others.
