Serving the Communities That Support Us
At AC, we have so much to be thankful for – our employees, their families, our clients, and the prosperity and success we all enjoy together. In service of AC’s Core Values, this is a perfect time to remind and encourage our employees to take advantage of two key benefits each year which empower us all to make a difference in the world around us:
> Annual matching charitable donation – To encourage support of nonprofits that are involved in education, social services, environmental, or health activities, AC matches employee contributions to 501(c)3 charitable organizations up to $50 per employee per year.
> Paid time off for community service – In recognition that it is our responsibility to be a good corporate citizen by enriching our surrounding communities, AC supports up to 8 hours of paid community service hours each year for all eligible employees.
Feeding Our Communities
As we close in on our national Thanksgiving holiday, our AC Bothell team quietly set aside one of their Sunday mornings to support the Bothell Community Kitchen.
For over a decade, the BCK has been providing free weekly meals directly on site and through partnerships to provide individually-packaged meals to anyone in the area, like preparing food for the Lake Washington UMC Safe Parking Program which supports families with children under age 18 or adult women who live in their cars.
AC Senior Project Manager, George Regier was impressed by the organization and his fellow coworkers: “The folks at Bothell Community Kitchen were incredibly kind and helpful people which made planning with them a breeze. We helped to make 40 sack lunches for people that were leaving a homeless shelter later that morning. We put our great AC teamwork in motion and completed in 45 minutes what was suppose to take 2 hours.”
George adds: “My 15-year old son, Matthew, also came along. He felt really good about being able to help others.” Matthew is a sophomore in high school and thinking about becoming an air traffic controller, but for that morning he simply wanted to help make sack lunches for others. With family at the center of our lives, volunteering is a key opportunity to hand down our awareness about what matters and share the unique joy of serving others.
If you would like to volunteer at Bothell Community Kitchen (BCK), or if you or someone you know in the area would like to reserve a meal, reach out to bck@bothellumc.org.
Cleaning Up Our Coastlines
The Blue Ocean Project is working to save our ocean and in turn our wildlife and plant through ongoing local beach cleanup events. Through the organization, volunteers have helped to recover and remove over 192,000 pounds of debris in the last decade. When you can’t come to the beach, every dollar removes 1 pound of plastic. Donations also support the development of ocean cleanup innovations that can recover microplastics from the beach.
This year, AC employees recovered approximately 182 pounds of trash and large debris from the Lincoln City Public Beach shoreline. Volunteers, Eric Bracht, Eli Cox, and Dan Moran won first, second, and third place for picking up over 29, 28, and 25 pounds of trash respectively.
Saving Our Furry Friends
Pasado’s Safe Haven is working to end the complex problem of animal cruelty through a comprehensive approach that includes improving investigations and rescue, providing sanctuary to approximately 200 animals on an 85-acre property in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, improving availability of pet related services to income qualified families, and by strengthening laws that benefit animals through education and advocacy.
Helping Families at Difficult Times
Ronald McDonald House is working to improve the health and well being of children and families around the world since 1974. They reach nearly 5.7 million children worldwide each year, helping them access medical care and resources they need. Ronald McDonald House supports 685+ programs, 60 countries/regions, 1.5 million overnight stays for families, and 74,000+ volunteers.
