Throughout the coming weeks, many GE businesses are setting aside a week from their busy schedules to participate in the United Way Week of Caring program.  This means that thousands of volunteers from throughout GE will be putting down their computers, phones, notepads, and pens and trading them in for shovels, hammers, paintbrushes, and power tools in an effort to better the communities in which they reside.

This week, GE Capital Solutions took to the streets of Danbury, CT to kick off their Week of Caring.  Partnering with Family & Children’s Aid, a local organization that helps children and young adults in need, the volunteers of GE took on a great variety of projects.  With record numbers of volunteers on-hand, efforts were split amongst projects such as building a new playground for the children, creating new concrete walking paths, painting rooms and murals within the many area group homes, creating a library for use in the children’s academic studies, and much more.

I was put to work on the team creating new concrete walking paths.  Step one was to dig out the area where the path was to be placed.  This meant cutting out a 4-foot wide, 4-inch deep, 50-foot long area through what can only be described as “old-fashioned New England farmland… rocky and rooty.”  After digging the path out, the team worked together to stake out and frame the to-be path using 2x4s, wooden stakes, tape measures, hammers, saws, drills, and levels.  Once the frames were in place and secured, we laid in stone dust and leveled the base of the path, making everything ready for the next day’s concrete pour.

Overall, the day was hard work, but it also very rewarding.  Putting aside the fact that it was a great opportunity for networking and team building, it always feels good to take some time to help out people in need.  It’s times like these when I’m proud to be a member of a company like GE.  A company that takes civic engagement as a responsibility… one that puts a priority on giving back to the community.  This is also why I’m glad that IMLP puts a focus on volunteering.  With IMLP-run volunteering committees always organizing volunteering opportunities, the GE volunteers website available as a way to easily find volunteering events in your area, and with business-sponsored initiatives such as the United Way Week of Caring going on, volunteering is definitely a part of IMLP and GE as a whole.  I’m already looking forward to the next one.  Hope to see you there!