The essence of social responsibility is that an organization or individual has an obligation to act for the benefit of society at large. Reaching out and making an impact on the communities in which we live and work is an area of interest that is very near and dear to the HR Florida State Council.
HR Florida and the local chapters that it serves have a common goal to provide professional development for the over 14, 000 human resources professionals in the state of Florida. Additionally, they take interest in wider social issues that impact the workforce.
“Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.” -Author Unknown
Each chapter has amazing stores of volunteerism and service to their local community. In 2017 the 28 local chapters provided over 71 thousand dollars in goods and cash to local charities. The altruism continues in 2018 with over 120 volunteer hours, 15 thousand dollars of donated goods and nearly $6,000 in cash provided to organizations.
The idea behind community impact is to play a role in removing barriers that may prevent qualified workers from obtaining or maintaining employment due to a wide spectrum of personal and social challenges. It is a comprehensive approach to supporting individuals, families and communities.
One such barrier could be food insecurity. On Thursday night, prior to the April business meeting, members of the state council participated in a fun and unique group activity to address this growing social condition by volunteering in the warehouse of the Second Harvest Food Bank.
Tom Toppings, District Director, stated, “It was a great experience to give back to communities that really need it. I probably don’t do this enough. It is a good reminder, of how much people really are struggling. It’s also a pretty exciting experience as well to be a part of a community that is so involved in giving back. “
Nearly 60 individuals transferred wholesome nutritious vegetables that came to the food bank in bulk pallets into family sized packages that would be distributed the next day. Music, laughter and teamwork made the project easy. The takeaways from the experience were significant. Victoria Stalls, District Director, summed up the experience by saying, “It’s so nice to be stuffing the bags of food that families will receive, and knowing that they will now be able to provide their families good fresh food. Food that they may not have been able to have without organizations like Second Harvest, and volunteers who donate their time to make sure that the food is packaged to reach those in need.” Amanda Simpson, Director of State Governmental Affairs commented, “Tonight was a great reminder of the amazing teamwork we have within HR Florida while we assisted with a wonderful cause for Central Florida. Fabulous people with the best hearts.”
