Giving back to the community is a huge piece of who we are here at Samuel, and we’re always encouraging our team members to let us know of charities in their area that they would like Samuel to support. This week, we recently donated to the Military Working Dog Team Support Association, an organization that supports Military Working Dogs and their handlers in the US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guards.

This organization was nominated to us by Kim O'Brien, Coordinator, Purchasing at our facility in Hermitage, PA, as her nephew, SSgt Alexander O’Brien, Military Working Dog Trainer, and his dog, MWD BBathsheba #C439 (pictured), are currently stationed at Andersen AFB in Guam. “I am so proud of the work they do,” shares Kim. “He has been deployed and stationed at a few bases in this country during his so far 6-year active military career. All the dogs have their specialty, and it amazes me how smart and loyal they all are!”

Our #SamuelCommunitiesProgram continues to allow our team members to have more of an impact on the communities they live in and today we’re recognizing Russ Kolesar, Plant Manager at our facility in Neville Island and his work with The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Association, presented by the Greater Pittsburgh Automobile Dealers Foundation. This association helps raise funds to provide residential care, treatment and support for those living with Autism in the Pittsburgh area.

Russ shares how proud he is of his daughter who is a Pediatric Intensive Care Nurse and has chosen to care for children with a wide array of disabilities. “I come from a very blessed and caring family,” he says. “We are able to participate in these events because of our passion for cars and giving back to the community. The Grand Prix event truly is fun and just helps people that could use some kindness.”

Our #SamuelCommunitiesProgram allow our team members to have more of an influence on the communities they live in and today we’re recognizing Laura Engels, Quality Assurance Manager, Western Region, and her brother’s work with The Correctional Peace Officers Foundation. This foundation is a national, non-profit charitable organization that preserves and supports the “surviving families of Correctional Officers who lose their lives in pursuit of their chosen profession of protecting the public from those in the nation’s prisons and jails.”

Laura tells us why this foundation has a special place in her heart. “My brother has been a Correctional Officer for over 14 years and has witnessed the effect of Correctional Officer deaths on their surviving families. These officers are considered front-line responders but do not always receive the respect, recognition, or support from those they protect,” she says. Laura tells us that she became aware of the organization when her brother, Matthew (pictured), began sharing some of the challenges he and his fellow officers experienced both on and off the job.

As part of our corporate giving program, Samuel Communities, we recently donated to the Water First, one of the top charitable organizations in Canada addressing water challenges in Indigenous communities through education, training and meaningful collaboration.

Water First was nominated by Sara Nunez, Receptionist at our Ironoak, ON location. When asked about what led her to nominate the organization, Sara shared, “Drinking water challenges are complex; in some communities, local concerns may be around infrastructure, for others, source water contamination. Organizations like Water First help to be part of the solution in providing access to this vital resource.”

Recently, #SamuelCommunitiesProfile,  featured Kevin Garrison, Project Coordinator at CAID Industries, Inc, and his work with Heifer International an organization that is dedicated to helping communities achieve living incomes, which will allow families to have access to resources such as proper housing, food, water, and other essential resources. They work to end poverty in partnership with the communities they serve and offer programs that support entrepreneurs around the world.

Kevin (pictured), who spent a year working and volunteering for this organization after graduating college, tells us why this foundation is so important to him.

“At the farm, we would teach hundreds of kids a week about sustainable farming, livestock, and cooking,” he says. “Teaching a kid who has only lived in a city how to milk a goat, can really change how they view the world! Even though I am no longer working at Heifer, I love telling people about the organization. I really believe in the work they do. The more people that know about the organization, the more people they can help.”

Our #SamuelCommunitiesProgram is sharing the work of Wake Monarch Academy , which was nominated by Chris English, Representative, Outside Sales. This organization creates programs and environments aimed at the prevention, reduction of, and recovery from substance use by adolescents in the Triangle area of North Carolina. Its mission is to create a space in which students can successfully pursue academic, personal, and professional goals.

“I nominated this organization in memory of my nephew, Matthew, who lost his life to substance abuse,” Chris shares with us. “This organization helps teens pursue their academic needs after developing substance issues. This environment allows them to focus on their recovery as well as academics. Our family truly appreciates the ongoing support from Samuel for this cause.”

Recently, our team donated to Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FOCUS), an organization that made it its mission to help save lives, reduce suffering, and create resilience in communities prone to man-made or natural disasters. This organization was nominated through our Charitable Giving Program, #SamuelCommunities, by Shehzad Pirmohammad, Label Business, and Progressive Billing Coordinator, at our facility in Surrey, BC. “I was born and raised in a third world country, and I feel strongly about the need for not only effective and organized disaster relief aid but also emergency preparedness education and initiatives,” he tells us.

“I thank Samuel from the bottom of my heart for caring about its people and the communities and organizations that its people care about!”

Thank you to Robbie Walker, GM, Prepaint, for his Samuel Communities Program nomination of DANCING DOG RESCUE AND RECOVERY RANCH INC This organization gives dogs who are up for euthanization another chance of a happy life by providing them the opportunity to recover and find loving homes. Robbie, who has been supporting this Rescue for 15 years, admires the dedication of the workers involved with the organization.

This organization must move quick for these dogs because as Robbie shares, they are informed about an at-risk dog the day before they’re set to be euthanized. “They have to be ready to act quickly in order to take possession and care for the dogs,” explains Robbie. “This takes tremendous amount of time and disrupts normal daily schedules but is worth it in the end.