Bricksters Giving Back
by Lauren Quan, Associate Marketing Manager
It’s been a summer of social responsibility at Red Bricks Media. Commitment to the community is one of our core values. In the past few months, our employees have donated time and supplies to local organizations Edgewood Center and Bessie Carmichael School. During her vacation, account manager Joyce Chang visited Mexico to help out with Projimo, a non-profit dedicated to providing services to the disabled. Our creative director Theresa Lee took her vacation in Cambodia, where she taught English to children there. Read on to learn about the organizations we’ve supported and how you can get involved.
- Edgewood Center for Children and Families -
On Friday, August 3rd, Red Bricks Media brought a taste of Miami to our San Francisco office with a Miami-themed event featuring salsa lessons, mojito how-tos, and tropical drinks and appetizers. Top marketers mingled with local community members and competed for items like spa treatments and wine tours in our silent auction. Our copywriter Peter Vaughan put the “buzz” in buzz marketing, shaving off his hair into a mohawk for charity after reaching his fundraising goal of $250. Thanks to everyone’s generosity, we raised a grand total of $2,067.18!
We donated the auction proceeds to local nonprofit Edgewood Center for Children and Families. Edgewood Center was founded in 1851 and over the last 155 years has evolved to become an innovative, multi-dimensional organization. One of the largest children’s agencies in Northern California, Edgewood helps some of our community’s most vulnerable children to heal, learn, and thrive, providing a range of residential, community-based, and school-based services to more than 5,000 children and families each year.
To learn more about the Edgewood Center, visit edgewoodcenter.org. Thanks again to everyone who came out and made our party a success!
- Projimo -
While many use their vacation time to hang on the beach in Mexico, Red Bricks Media account manager Joyce Chang spent her two-week vacation in Mexico filling holes in the roads and helping disabled people with physical therapy and personal care. Joyce volunteered with Projimo, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the disabled in Mexico.
Projimo was founded in 1980 to “to help persons with disabilities, for the purpose of recovering their dignity as human beings and at the same time, fighting for their rights and the rights of other disabled people to be integrated or reintegrated into the society.” Projimo’s compound in Cuyotitan includes workshops where volunteers build wheelchairs and other rehabilitative devices from donated materials. People come from all over Mexico to live in the community and learn to understand and accept their disabilities as part of everyday life.
To learn more about Projimo, visit the organization’s website at http://www.projimo.org.mx/. Projimo gladly accepts monetary and supply donations. You can also learn how to become an on-site volunteer.
- New International Builder’s Community -
Red Bricks Media’s Creative Director Theresa Lee had an eye-opening ten-day trip to Cambodia when she volunteered with her church’s mission group. She and twelve fellow church members visited Siem Reap to teach English to the local children. The group was traveling through New International Builder’s Community (NIBC), part of www.bbglobal.org.
NIBC is committed to improving education in Cambodia, a country with only a 40% literacy rate. There’s a shortage of teachers throughout the country due to the tragic genocide of many educated citizens during the Pol Pot regime. The schools where Theresa taught employed only two teachers full-time, and the students often could not read and write in their own language. She and her fellow teachers taught English through games, songs, skits, and art. “The kids were so bright-eyed and eager to learn,” says Theresa. “Experiencing Cambodia helped me realize the tangible things I can do to contribute to this world.”
NIBC’s future plans include building a university and 100 more kindergartens and secondary schools in Cambodia. In addition to building out educational opportunities, NIBC also has plans for clean water and urban development projects. To learn more, visit www.bbglobal.org.
- Bessie Carmichael Elementary and Middle Schools -
In an office-wide community service day, thirty Red Bricks Media employees brought back-to-school enthusiasm to Bessie Carmichael elementary and middle schools. We helped teachers prep for back-to-school by delivering essential classroom supplies, including bookshelves, filing cabinets, overhead projectors, and crayons. We were reminded of our school days as we cleaned, colored, labeled, assembled, and had an awesome time getting to know the teachers and faculty.
To learn more about Bessie Carmichael, visit http://portal.sfusd.edu/template/default.cfm?page=es.carmichael.
Throughout the year, we’ll continue our commitment to community service. Our social responsibility team has big plans for the holidays – stay tuned for more updates!