This fall, Appfire’s Corporate Communications team met up in Denver, Colorado, for a week of team building and collaboration. Arriving from three cities across the United States, as well as the UK and Mexico, the group of six spent the week catching up, aligning on new processes, and discussing upcoming projects. But it was a volunteer opportunity coordinated by Appfire Town, Appfire’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, that made the biggest impact for the team and local community.
Appfire Town is a virtual town where everyone at Appfire and beyond — including partners, customers, friends, and family — is invited to become a “neighbor” and to come together to generate a strong social impact. Many of the ideas that materialize into volunteer opportunities come from individuals looking to harness the power of community around a cause that’s important to them. The core team overseeing Appfire Town is available to help brainstorm ideas around certain geographies, or those tied to national or worldwide campaigns and initiatives.
Over the past year, as teams began gathering in person around the globe for offsites and team meetups, Appfire saw an opportunity to build volunteer activities into those events. In 2023, nearly 20 volunteer activities were planned for various offsites through the support of Appfire Town. Activities have ranged from volunteering at food banks and refurbishing schools to supporting at-risk youth and cleaning up beaches, and everything in between.
“A beautiful example of community”
When the Corporate Communications team confirmed Denver as the location for their offsite, they turned to Appfire Town for guidance on a volunteer initiative. “We decided to tie in this opportunity with a Childhood Cancer Awareness campaign taking place at the same time,” explains CSR Operations Coordinator James Patrick. “We got in touch with Children’s Hospital Colorado, which was able to accept donations and had a location near where the Corporate Communications team held its offsite. We connected with the director of volunteering at the hospital, and planned from there. Though not every patient at the hospital is battling cancer, we knew this event could be a source of joy for all patients, families, and staff.”
With the volunteer location secured, the team planned a craft activity similar to the well-known build-a-bear concept. Through Appfire Town, 150 unstuffed animals, including soft and colorful teddy bears, koala bears, puppies, giraffes, and elephants, were shipped to Denver along with 50 pounds of stuffing, outfits for the stuffed animals, tiny hearts to tuck into the stuffing, and “birth certificates” for each. With the week being dedicated to collaboration, the Corporate Communications team spent their first day together stuffing half of the animals so they’d be available for families to pick up quickly if the patient was unable to leave their hospital room. The remaining materials were brought to the hospital lobby, where a station was set up for patients and caregivers to make their own stuffed animals with the help of the volunteers.
“This was such a bright and special activity for everyone involved,” says Vice President of Corporate Communications Jacqueline Hogue. “As a Denver native, I was honored to bring this activity to my local Children’s Hospital with the support of Appfire Town. What was just incredible was to see the smiles on the faces of patients, parents, families, doctors, nurses, and staff. Everyone who walked through the lobby paused with curiosity and interest in the activity, then immediately grabbed a spot with us to make a stuffed animal. Patients were selflessly making them for siblings, and one parent told us that she was eager to bring a rainbow-colored teddy bear to her daughter after surgery to say, ‘I made this for you.’ Not one piece of stuffing was left at the end of the day. The team brought joy to families during their hardest days. It was a beautiful example of community, and one we were grateful to be a part of.”
Everyone’s invited to get involved
This is just one example of how teams across Appfire are utilizing Appfire Town’s resources to give back. It’s also an example of the good that can happen when people come together across geographies and functions. In fact, the stuffed animal activity was such a success that Appfire Town has already begun to replicate it across team offsites and well beyond, as employees, families, and friends show interest, with the goal of handing out 500 more stuffed animals to children in need through the rest of the year.
But you don’t have to be an Appfire employee, or have a connection to one, to make a difference. We invite everyone to contact Appfire Town to share ideas, connect with fellow volunteers, and make an impact.
Check out the Corporate Communications team in action in Denver, and scroll through photos from the team’s day prepping and handing out stuffed animals.
