by Kendall Shepherd
Here at Opal, part of our purpose is to focus on the success of others. We believe that this assures we are focused on what truly matters: building meaningful connections in an increasingly complex world. But that isn’t easy.
At Opal, one of our seven core company values is to lend a hand — be helpful. We value people who take initiative and who jump in to help. Philanthropy and community outreach is a direct extension of helping our community flourish and because of this we developed a program designed for helping Opalites with an opportunity to volunteer their time.
We started Club-Give, our Community Outreach Program in the winter of 2015. Since then, Opal has selected a new organization or community partner or project to support every quarter. To date, our team has helped sort food and clothes at Portland’s Sunshine Division, built homes for Habitat for Humanity, ran for a cause in the PDX 4K4Charity, collected canned food for the Oregon Food Bank, held a phone-a-thon for DollarFor, donated bottles and can collections to The Oregon Humane Society, crafted fleece blankets for Project Linus, gardened in the Albina Community Garden through Hands on Greater Portland, and for the third year in a row, we are adopting two families in need of extra help this Holiday season through the Christmas Family Adoption Foundation.
At Opal, our team takes pride in building connections, in helping others and in working with purpose — to focus on the success of others. Working together to strengthen our community is a powerful thing. And together, we can do a lot.
Thinking of ways you can give back this holiday season? Here are three simple, low-cost ways to give:
- Give a meal. For those wondering where their next meal is coming from, the holidays can be especially hard. In our hometown of Portland, the Oregon Food Bank is a go-to resource for feeding the human spirit this holiday season. Here’s more info on how to host your own food drive or participate in existing ones throughout your community.
- Give warmth. Host a winter clothing drive for new or gently used coats, hats, gloves, etc. Then assemble individual bags and give to those living without shelter you see on a daily basis throughout your community; or drop off clothes at a local shelter for those living without a home this holiday season.
- Give joy. For kids living in foster care, a small act of kindness goes a long way. Consider donating new or unused toys, puzzles and books (without broken parts or missing batteries) to a local organization like With Love Oregon that provides necessary care items to kids living in foster care.
