While some companies may have a mission statement, at Charter we’re guided by something called “OurCharter,” affectionately known by the team as The Blue Book. The Blue Book includes OurPurpose, OurPromise and OurPrinciples, the third of which is “Make a Difference.” While we all try our best to embody this Principle daily, there’s one day a year when the entire company dedicates all of our energy to making a difference in our local communities. On this day, coined Make a Difference Day, we come together not as salespeople, builders, or designers but as a group of people dedicated to giving our time, talents and enthusiasm to positively impact the lives of others.
This year, Make a Difference Day was on Friday, October 26th, and our team split into two groups so that we could make a difference in both Central and Western PA. In downtown Lancaster, a group of 50 Charter employees spent the day at TLC, a transitional living facility which takes in the homeless and provides them with emotional support, help finding employment and eventually permanent housing. TLC is also home to Veteran’s Victory House, a space for homeless veterans and their families. From building shelving for storage, preparing empty rooms for new tenants, replacing lighting and ceiling tiles, completely redoing the veteran’s lounge, and more, the Central PA Charter team definitely made their mark on the Victory House.
In Pittsburgh, an equally busy Charter crew helped to renovate new sensory classrooms for several local elementary schools in the Baldwin School District, an area with one of the highest enrollment rates of students with disabilities in Allegheny County. Charter stepped in to help fund and build new sensory rooms that are designed as dedicated therapeutic learning spaces, allowing students with disabilities to calm and focus themselves so they can be better prepared to interact with others.
At the end of the day, though dirty and tired, we found ourselves humbled by the experience, closer to our teammates and with an overwhelming sense of pride and satisfaction. The stories that come out of Make a Difference Day echo the hallways of our office long after the day itself has passed. We can’t think of a better way to spend a day or a better group of people to do it with.
