At Businessolver, we’re committed to business with a purpose. That means ensuring the right products, services and support are there for our clients at the right time. It also means extending that sense of purpose to the communities in which we live and work.

Earlier this year, I was honored to help launch the Businessolver Foundation--our company’s philanthropic extension focused on creating a healthy, well-educated world where community matters.

Though it’s only been a few months, I think it’s important to take a moment to look back and reflect on what has been accomplished and learned throughout the Foundation’s first quarter. As I did my reflection, I realized how incredibly proud I am of all that the Foundation and our employees have come together to accomplish. Here’s a brief glimpse at how we’ve made an intentional impact on community, education, and health:

COMMUNITY

Habitat for Humanity
Through a series of internal fundraisers and #TechWithHeart projects at the Health and Benefits Leadership Conference, we were able to donate a total of $2,500 to Habitat for Humanity Des Moines and $2,500 to Habitat for Humanity Denver. Our support of Habitat for Humanity in both Des Moines and Denver will continue throughout the year, stay tuned!

Bravo Gala – Celebrating the Arts!
Businessolver was a leading sponsor for The Bravo Awards Gala, an event to recognize the work Bravo Greater Des Moines does year-round to elevate the quality of life in central Iowa.  By investing more than $3 million annually in more than 60 arts, culture and heritage organizations in the region, Bravo plays a critical role in strengthening the community’s cultural well-being.  

Random Acts of Kindness
Sometimes all it takes is something small to start a ripple that can then make an even bigger difference. This sparked the idea to distribute Random Acts of Kindness Kits to clients and employees during the month of February. The results were wide-spread and welcomed throughout our communities—from buying groceries for people in line at the grocery store, to pumping and paying for a stranger’s gas, to simply bringing in treats for coworkers, the results were amazing and the kindness continued long after the #BusinessolverRAK month ended. This is a tradition that we hope turns into a habit for all that got involved!

EDUCATION

Partnership with Junior Achievement
We recently adopted Roosevelt, a local Des Moines school, and announced our commitment to support Junior Achievement of Central Iowa through its new financial literacy initiative, JA Finance Park. Junior Achievement’s new financial literacy initiative includes implementation of classroom curriculum that explores fundamental business and economic concepts as well as helps develop work and career-readiness skills. The program targets middle and high school students and follows through with hands-on, practical application of learning objectives at the Des Moines JA BizTown facility.

Businessolver Scholarship
At Businessolver, we are passionate about learning and education which is why we’ve made it a priority to invest in our employee’s children’s futures. Just this week we were happy to announce that eight seniors will be awarded scholarship funds to be applied to their tuition for their first year of college. We’re excited to invest and support in the next generation's education!

HEALTH

Make-a-Wish Iowa
Ever since we had the experience of personally sponsoring a Wish, Make-A-Wish has been a cause near and dear to our hearts. This quarter we were able to continue our support by attending the Make-A-Wish Gala. We also answered the call for support with a donation of $10,000 for the #BringTheJolly campaign in response to the flooding that impacted the premier fundraising event of Jolly Holiday Lights in Des Moines!

Ronald McDonald House
We got creative for a cause in Portland with our #TechWithHeart paint by number project at the National Forum for Black Public Administrators! We donated $5 on behalf of each participant that helped us complete our mural to raise a total of $1,500 for Ronald McDonald House. Our Denver team campaigned to raise $2016 in 2016 for Ronald McDonald House Denver. Not only did they meet that challenge, but they exceeded with a donation of $2,373. Throughout the quarter, we’ve also done several internal fundraisers as well as delivered pizza to the Ronald McDonald Houses in Des Moines and Denver on National Pi Day!

Susan G. Komen Foundation
This quarter we announced our commitment to support Susan G. Komen through employee and client participation at 11 Race for the Cure® events nationwide throughout this year. So far, Team Businessolver has raced in Estero, Florida; Los Angeles, California and Boston, Massachusetts. Participating in the races has not only given us the opportunity to make a difference across the nation for a good cause, but also the opportunity to grow closer to our clients while doing it.

Special Olympics
We had Special Olympic athletes come on-site and talk in both our Des Moines and Denver offices. Their enthusiasm and dedication was contagious to all that had the opportunity to hear them speak. We raised awareness through internal fundraisers and our employees came together to raise an impressive $4,000 to give back to Special Olympics Iowa and Denver. My favorite part about supporting Special Olympics has been the personal stories that have come from it—many of which have been featured on this very blog!

Looking back, it’s inspiring to see how big of an impact the Businessolver Foundation has made in just its first quarter of existence. I learned that sometimes the big gestures are just as meaningful and memorable as the little ones, and the power of creating a culture of giving is invaluable and well worth the effort.

I invite you to stay tuned to what’s next with the Businessolver Foundation by staying tuned to the Foundation Findings blog, where we’ll continue to share how we’re making a difference in the hopes to inspire your organization to do the same!