As part of its ongoing efforts to give back to the community, Omnicom’s Connecticut office will be hosting a Service Day at the Eugenio Maria de Hostos Microsociety School in Yonkers NY, on Saturday, November 7th.
Omnicom has a tradition of service, beginning in 2007 and carrying through to today. This will be the first time Omnicom employees have worked in their local community, and we expect to host many more Service Days in the future. When choosing a project, Omnicom employees look for an opportunity to ‘get out and sweat’, where the hard work will have high impact on the lives of children and their communities.
The Hostos project is ideal for this purpose. As a large elementary school in use year-round for school and community activities, maintenance staff rarely has the opportunity to perform large-scale projects.
Because the school lacks bulletin boards and other displays, nearly every wall in the school is covered with the remnants of glue and adhesive, remaining from previous attempts to display children’s art and schoolwork. Omnicom staff and their families will be cleaning and painting hallways, classrooms and public spaces in order to provide a bright and cheerful environment for the kids. In addition, Omnicom will be building a small computer center which will be used for instructional purposes as well as publishing the school newspaper and eventually, technology instruction for the community at large.
One of the Yonkers Service Day’s organizers, Tracy Held (a 15-year employee of Omnicom) had this to say: “I am extremely lucky to work with a group of people at Omnicom that really tries to make a difference in children’s lives. It is so important to get out and show kids that there are people who care about them, who are willing to take time out of their own lives to do something that improves their environment. It doesn’t take much to inspire a child and to make sure they have the tools to succeed in life.”
Another long-term member of the Omnicom Family, Robyn Pyles, had this to add: “It’s a beautiful thing to be able to give something back, to share whatever I can with those who have not been as fortunate as I have been.”
Over the next few days we’ll be posting the “before” pictures, so you can see for yourself the need for Omnicom’s 2009 Service Day. We’ll also be posting a lot more about the “Microsociety” Project, and why it is so important to the future well-being of the children involved at the school. Check back for more information on how you too can participate!