Helping the needy in TI site communities

07/13

TI employees across the U.S. volunteer their time to help people in their local communities, including these employees from TI's Silicon Valley site who recently helped construct and decorate three playhouses as part of the Habitat for Humanity Playhouse Build Program.

Employees working at TI sites across the U.S. have been busy volunteering to help people in their local communities.

Habitat for Humanity Playhouse Project - Silicon Valley, Calif.

More than 20 TI employees from the Sunnyvale and Santa Clara offices joined forces to benefit children living in foster homes. In less than four hours, the TI team constructed and decorated three playhouses as part of the Habitat for Humanity Playhouse Build Program.

The playhouses, complete with opening doors, windows and a mock solar panel, were decorated to look like a pirate ship, castle and cottage. As the paint was drying and the finishing touches were being made, the foster families and their children came to pick up their new playhouses and thank the volunteers.

TI employee Laura Shuey, who coordinated the event as part of a monthly volunteer program, said it was a rewarding experience.

"It was great to see the playhouses we built, and even more special to meet the children who will enjoy the playhouses for years to come," Laura said. "They were so excited and thankful, which was wonderful to see first-hand."

United Way Day of Impact - Grass Valley, Calif.

Employees at TI's Grass Valley site participated in the area's 5th-annual United Way Day of Impact event. TI volunteers helped the Food Bank of Nevada County pack grains to be distributed to hungry families in the area. TI employee Delynn Powell, who helped organize the event, said the project was a great fit for the group and the staff was grateful for the help.

"They need a lot of volunteers to make it all happen, and it felt good to give some time to the cause," Delynn said. Walk Against Hunger - Manchester, N.H.

A group of TI employees from the Manchester site recently spent their morning participating in the local Walk Against Hunger. The 23rd-annual walk benefited New Horizons for New Hampshire Soup Kitchen, Food Pantry and Homeless Shelter, and Angie's Shelter for Women.

TI Manchester sponsored the event, and employees raised $1,500 that will be matched by the TI Community Fund.

Day of Impact - Dallas, Texas

As a relatively new organization, the Embedded Processing Finance & Operations (F&O) group wanted to have a team-building exercise that would help employees get to know one another better while also serving the community. TI employees from the group beautified Trinity River Mission's (TRM) teen center and kindergarten room. TRM is a United Way of Metropolitan Dallas (UWMD) service provider.

Team members painted walls and built a seating area/storage unit for the teen center. In the "kinder" room, team members painted the walls and a picnic table, organized books in two libraries, cleaned up the entire facility and donated books/school supplies.

"I really enjoyed learning about an organization such as TRM, which provides so many wonderful services to a part of our city so desperately in need of them," said Chris Peters, custom business unit F&O director.

Reading Partners - Dallas, Texas

Eighteen TI employees in Dallas mentored students at Lorenzo DeZavala Elementary School and other schools through a partnership with Reading Partners, another UWMD service partner.

During the twice weekly sessions at the school, TI volunteers paired up to help students improve their reading skills throughout the spring 2013 semester. More than 80 volunteer hours were invested in these students.

Kaitlin Guthrow, regional executive director of Reading Partners, said that the investment from TI was invaluable. "Not only did we see a marked improvement in their literacy skills, but as they learned to read, so did their confidence grow," Guthrow said. "Our TI volunteers were a true inspiration, and with their support, the trajectories of our students' lives have been changed for the better."

Community Outreach Program - Tucson, Ariz.

TI employees in Tucson gave 10 high school graduates, who are part of a community outreach program sponsored by Pima Community College, a tour of their TI site as a way of inspiring them in their future college studies. Each of these graduates has an interest in engineering and will be the first child in their family to go to college.

"All of the volunteers did a great job of showing the students their roles in the company, and I think they were all very appreciative of the tour," said TI employee Mike Hartshorne. "I am sure each of these future engineers will remember this experience for some time."

United Way Day of Impact - Dallas, Texas

Sixteen employees and contractors from TI Corporate Communications took a break from their offices and meeting rooms for two hours of fun with preschoolers at the Anderson ChildCare Group in Garland, Texas.

The Day of Impact participants split up among several classrooms at the Head Start Preschool and spent time reading, calling Bingo, building blocks and doing puzzles with the children. The volunteers also got to get back in touch with their inner child by playing tag and hide and seek with the children on the playground.

The Corporate Communications group donated books for the preschoolers to read while at school or to take home for additional enjoyment.