At ApplyBoard, one of our core values is ‘we care‘. This is why we formed the ApplyCare Committee. This employee-led committee plans activities and events to raise money and awareness for local organizations and give back to our communities.
Inspired by the acts of kindness that we saw throughout our communities, The ApplyCare Committee launched the Community Care Challenge to encourage employees to spread joy in their communities.
Connecting remotely, the ApplyCare planning committee, led by Victoria Arsic, discussed creative suggestions for spreading love in the community, and opportunities to get the whole company involved. Ultimately, the team decided to utilize online collaboration tools, to ensure that the joy was shared across the entire team, no matter where they were working!
Throughout May, ApplyBoard staff shared photos and stories that showcased how they have been giving back to the community, the acts of kindness that inspired them, and how they have been showing appreciation to their neighbours during this challenging time.
From cleaning up trash in public spaces as a family to donating blood and writing encouraging messages for their neighbours in chalk – we were inspired by the kindness (and creativity!) of our teams as they were giving back. Common themes across photos and anecdotes were empathy, thankfulness, unity, and affection through public acts of kindness.
As the event organizer, Victoria shared, “I was especially touched by Maja’s story about a man in her neighbourhood who was collecting food donations for the elderly in the community, and how her family contributed weekly.”
“Another moving story came from Isaac, who shared how he was connecting with his grandfather and grandmother during isolation.”
Team members from our global offices also participated in the challenge, including Jobanmeet, a colleague from India. She shared the story of her mother, who arranged to send food to her friends who lost their jobs. Every week, she orders groceries and drops them off at their homes, an act of kindness that has brought joy to many families.
It’s stories like these that remind us all of how brave sharing is. It’s these stories that show how important it is to express our care for our community and each other.
One of the most important things we learned from this event is that our friends and colleagues genuinely represent the core values of ApplyBoard, which allow us to come together during difficult times.
We hope to continue building on company cohesion and warm, welcoming culture to sustain and improve team spirit. Most importantly, we hope that we can continue to give back by recognizing our teammates and the wider community.
