Community Days

Across Europe, SABIC businesses take part in ‘community days,’ which focus on involving employees in community activities in the form of volunteering or taking part in organized events.

Some of this year’s activities for the Teesside operation included:

Footprints in the Community

A team of volunteers went along to the Footprints in the Community warehouse at Dormanstown. This involved helping with their ‘First Steps’ project, which provides children’s and babies clothing and equipment to those in need.

The team helped to sort and categorize baby clothing donations, as well as cleaning and checking baby equipment.

A donation was also made to further support the charity.

Speaking about the volunteering experience, volunteer, Emma Gash said; “Volunteering with SABIC is a great way to give something back and support local community projects. To me this opportunity really emphasized the importance of helping those in need. I enjoyed meeting new people and learning more about the charity and the impact it has.”

Ladies of Steel – Pensioners afternoon tea

Ladies of Steel are a voluntary group who support the local community in the Dormanstown area, including a regular afternoon social event for pensioners and a youth club at the Corus Sports & Social Club.

SABIC sponsored a special ‘country edition’ of the event, with a cowboy themed menu, a country singer, and games. Around 150 people attended, with many dressed for a real ‘hoedown’ with Stetsons and cowboy boots at the ready.

A team of volunteers supported the event, selling tickets for games and serving food.

SABIC volunteer, Kathryn Harper said “I had the pleasure of participating in two SABIC volunteering activities this year. The Ladies of Steel event was such good fun – the country music themed lunch and games was a great afternoon and heartwarming to witness the friendships and socializing that takes place (as well as some very impressive line dancing!)

My second volunteering event was the Redcar Beach Clean. We were lucky enough to get a gorgeous sunny autumnal day. The fresh air and great company provided an invigorating couple of hours for a worthy cause.”

Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal

SABIC teamed up with The Wilton Centre’s Pioneer Group and the Redcar branch of the Royal British Legion for the Poppy Appeal.

Pioneer supported the Poppy Appeal by selling poppies in reception and around the building and SABIC presented a donation, which was handed over by former forces personnel from the SABIC team and other Wilton Centre residents who are also former forces personnel.

Karen Redfearn, Business Communications Partner, who organizes the SABIC community activities said; “Our community events are a real pleasure, connecting with community project organizations and the volunteers who work tirelessly to support them is quite humbling. It’s also lovely to see how much the SABIC team enjoy the experiences, there’s definitely a ‘feel good factor’ in giving your time to a worthy cause. Volunteering is a great team building opportunity and we also have plenty of fun!

Having worked for businesses of varying sizes, I am very aware that it’s not easy for a business to dedicate time for volunteering, or provide donations, but the value of volunteering can be so beneficial to employees and for businesses alike. If you consider employee retention, this could be one factor in your business being a ‘great place to work.’ The community projects benefit from the support and it’s also good for business reputation.”

Volunteering Checklist for Employers

• Ask employees what they would like to support. People are more likely to volunteer for causes they feel passionate about and appreciate the value.
• Research volunteering opportunities through local and social media.
• Consider what is practical for your team. For example, physical tasks might not suit everyone, but there could be a range of volunteering activities that would work well for others.
• Ensure activities are safe for employees and any health and safety risks are minimized.
• Allocate time for volunteering – this does not need to be your entire team at the same time.