VMC Volunteers Make Communities

Liberty Mutual volunteers delivered 2 carloads and a SUV of items to Interfaith Council for Homeless Families (ICHF) along with several bags of items like shampoo, toothpaste, razors, school supplies, etc. ICHF is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to ending the crisis of homelessness. Their "Start A Home Basket" program looks for donations of household supplies for families moving out of shelters and into homes. Donations such as cleaning supplies, laundry supplies, pots, pans, toiletries and even the first week's groceries are then packaged like a house-warming gift.

We plan for this to be an ongoing relationship. The staff at ICHF is wonderful and provided a lot of information about future needs.

Thanks so much (VMC) for putting my group together with the agency.

Service Manager
Liberty Mutual

Wyeth Volunteer Day
at Madison Daycare Center
July 27, 2006

L to R Jennifer Fullwood
Rachel Nearnberg

“… I wanted to let you know that our clothing drive benefiting Anderson House (Anderson House is a residential program for women in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction) and Working Wardrobe (a system of support for women and men who are struggling to achieve self-sufficiency with dignity in a harsh economic environment) at Franklin Food was a huge success. While it is hard to estimate how many clothes were collected, I can say that there were at least 5 boxes measuring 5’x4’x4’ full of clothes. Both Anderson House and Franklin Food Bank were very happy with the clothes they received. Thank you for hooking us up together!”

CIT Gets Involved in Book Drive

CIT employees donated over 1,000 books for distribution to preschools and grammar schools. VMC was able to direct some of these books to several VMC affiliated agencies:

Ada Budrick Child Care and Learning
Project Acorn, Inc
St. John’s Community Development Corp
Collinsville Child Care Center
Morristown Neighborhood House

Many thanks CIT employees for providing young people with summer reading.

Local LexisNexis Employees Reach Out to the Community

Recently, 37 volunteers from LexisNexis® Corporate Affiliations™ & Advertising Red Books™, Content Operations, Sales, IT & Finance areas spent the day volunteering at the Community FoodBank in Hillside, New Jersey. This one-day event was coordinated by the combined efforts of Debra Ayn, Charlie Blecker, Julie Hope Bortugno & Laura Tarnofsky.
The morning began with a video showcasing the benefits to many hungry families rendered by food bank donations. The group then moved to the school supply area where they organized materials & stocked shelves in the area set up for teachers that face tight budgets.
After lunch, the group moved into the FoodBank’s salvage area where they cleaned, sorted & stacked boxes of miscellaneous food donations & household products, readying them for delivery to local food shelters.
LexisNexis volunteers all agreed that this was truly a rewarding experience for all involved. Mike Browning, Director of Content Operations stated, “The LN Cares Day held at the Community Food Bank of New Jersey provided our Corporate Affiliations/Red Books team a terrific opportunity to make a difference in the community. It was very gratifying to see nearly a 100% team turnout, and the passion and enthusiasm expressed by every member of the team to help those less fortunate was fantastic.” In commenting to Human Resources, Debra Ayn, Content Analyst said, “Being able to give back some small measure to our fellow community members makes us all more appreciative and humble.”
The group is looking forward to planning their 2nd LN Cares Day scheduled for sometime later this year.

Pfizer Team Does it Again!

I just wanted to thank you and the team of Pfizer employees who worked so hard recently. Besides making the school warmer it also helps to keep it safer. The materials used add an additional fire retardant to the basement.

The money that we saved in labor is going to be used to provide our summer camp experience that they otherwise would not be able to afford. It makes me sad to think so many 10 and 12 year olds have to stay home all summer. I don't even know how much or the quality of supervision they have. I just know it is not the fun filled summer they deserve.

Last month I submitted a budget ….. for Camp Little Oak. Admission costs per child is $420.00. With that number in mind, can you imagine how many scholarships Pfizer employees made possible this summer? I am so deeply appreciative to all of you. I don't know if we save these children from negative experiences in life, but I do know that we change their lives. The friendships they make during the summer and the careers and skills they are exposed to during the summer makes a difference.

Thank you all so very much. You are responsible for bringing joy to many children.

Joann Salek
Little Oak Learning and Developmental Center

Our Ricoh Corporation project on at the St. John's Community Development Corp. (St. John's offers an after school program for low-income families to have a safe, caring environment for their children) in Boonton was a huge success! I had 15 employees out there for an afternoon of "getting dirty" with grounds maintenance, and they loved it!!! Thank you so much for your help in putting us together.

Richard Eisenberg, Strategic Planning & Communication Consultant
Ricoh U.S. Division

VMC was instrumental in connecting CCM Volunteer Club with Habitat for Humanity to help with their current projects as well Great Swamp in Chatham for their Maple Sugaring Festival. The Club is always looking for ways to help and give back to our community. Congratulations to the students at CCM Volunteer Club.

Pfizer's PCH Digestive Health Team helped to improve a portion of the Little Oak Learning and Developmental Center in Randolph, which provides quality childcare regardless of parents' ability to pay.

The team began work on transforming the center's basement into a playroom for its youngsters by painting walls and attaching ceiling wallboard. The group intends to return this spring to complete the work, which will include ripping up carpet and installing floor tile.