More than two-thirds of employees at Reinventing Geospatial, Inc. are participating in the company’s community outreach programs. And they are making a difference — from providing food for local students at risk of hunger between school meals to offering warmth and job skills to residents of a local shelter.
“We know that with this level of commitment, we will succeed in our mission to make an immediate and lasting impact,” said CEO Stephen Gillotte.
Through the Power Pack Program, RGi has partnered with Food for Others to deliver weekend food packs to students in the community who are at risk of hunger between school meals. RGi began the work in 2017 and how holds events every six weeks to help package and deliver the food.
To date, the company has purchased, packaged and delivered more than 3,000 packs representing more than 8,800 pounds of food. The impact?
“Allowing students to focus on their education and not their hunger,” Gillotte said.
Additionally, RGi has partnered with the Fairfax County nonprofit FACETS Hyperthermia Prevention and Response Program for the last three winters. Through that program, the company has supported the shelter for those in need during the winter months but has also stepped in to help shelter guests gain employment. Company employees regularly volunteer to offer shelter guests instruction in basic computer skills training to either advance their skills or assist in job searches.
RGi has purchased five new laptops for the effort as well as developed a standardized curriculum that covers resume development. RGi volunteers then teach the program to shelter guests.
For the past three years, RGi has offered an annual $10,000 scholarship through the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation to an undergraduate student with financial need who has an interest in both the engineering and geospatial disciplines.
“We believe in making community activism an integral part of our business culture, and that by proactively leading and encouraging others to be active members of the community, we multiply our potential and actual impact across our corporate social responsibility work,” Gillotte said.
One reason for the success of and participation in the company’s outreach efforts is that employees are enabled to simply give their time and enthusiasm to the cause. RGi covers financial expenses.
“By providing the tools and organization for volunteer activities, RGi also allows volunteers to focus on what they’re doing and why they’re doing it, which provides a greater level of enjoyment in the overall experience,” Gillotte said. “When people enjoy contributing, it leads to more contributions and more impact in our community.”