One of the things I truly love about Edelman is every year we turn on our out of office messages and take on entirely new roles as participants in The Little Give. This year was my third Little Give, and my first in Vancouver. Each experience has been unique, hard work and wholeheartedly memorable.
So, what is it?
Born in Vancouver, The Little Give is at it’s core about the company – and all the people that make it a company – giving back. A little bit of money and a lot of time later, The Little Give is about making an impact, the biggest impact possible, in 48 hours.
This year in Vancouver we were working with the YWCA organizations and I was part of a team (full of old friends and awesome folks I haven’t had an opportunity to really get to know yet) dedicated to Emma’s, a daycare with a focus on supporting young mothers who can feel confident their little ones are in a safe, stimulating environment while they continue their high school education.
As soon as gardening was identified as part of the ask…there was only one honorary team member I could think of bringing on board. A vegetable plot that needs an overhaul? You’d like mini pumpkin patch? Did you say herbs. Yeah, there was no question that my newbie green thumb wouldn’t suffice and The Beard was needed.
Did I send him a text to see if he could make it? Nah, instinct has taught me better and I figured it was likely that no matter what was on his plate for tomorrow, he would figure out a way to get it done the night before or over the weekend to make sure Friday was gardening day.
I was right.
We spent the early morning surveying, the late morning collecting supplies from Home Depot (who generously offered a donation to our cause) and together with the team, decided that one raised box wouldn’t do. Why not have three? Cherry tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, beans and peas, basil and peppermint, cucumbers and chives…we need room for it all. So we went for it.
Now, I’m focusing on the garden because that’s was my favourite part of the whole 48 hours (in close second is all of the artwork, most notably the gnome home, that was created by the team on Day 2) but this is one part of a tremendous amount of work done by the entire team. It was incredible to see all that was accomplished in 48 hours and exciting to think about the little smiles that it would bring to the kids on Monday morning.
I’m so proud of my team, most of all the esteemed farmer who joined us for a day, and all that was accomplished for Emma’s. There’s something ridiculously gratifying about spending a couple of days away from your desk covered in dirt and paint with your co-workers.
Thanks everyone for a special weekend and another amazing Little Give experience.
