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October is BARR Belong Foundation Month! Learn How BARR is Giving Back to Our Communities

September 29, 2022 |

This October marks BARR Advisory’s second annual BARR Belong Foundation Month. The month is full of opportunities for associates to connect with each other and give back to their communities, culminating with the company’s fifth annual Day of Giving on October 26.

“The BARR Belong Foundation exists to help create stronger, safer, more secure communities where our associates live and work. Simply stated, we are building a culture of philanthropy at BARR so that our associates have opportunities to support the causes important to them by lending their voice or giving their time, talents, and financial resources,” said Jonnae Hill, culture and community engagement manager at BARR.

What is the BARR Belong Foundation? 

The foundation was created as a way for associates to support causes close to their hearts. It’s also a way to connect with people and opportunities for personal and professional growth and success. The foundation has four main focus areas: volunteerism, financial support, community building, and pro-bono services. 

  • Volunteerism: Associates give their time by volunteering at nonprofits centered on causes like animal welfare, at-risk youth, community beautification, LGBTQ+, homeless outreach, environmental sustainability, and more. 
  • Financial support: At BARR, we realize the impact workplace giving has on the world around us. In fact, an estimated $5 billion is given to U.S. nonprofits each year because of it. We do our part by giving one percent of BARR’s profit back to our communities each year. One way we do this is through BARR’s Matching Gift Program, where associate donations are matched dollar-for-dollar up to $500 per year.
  • Community leadership: This program focuses on empowering students in underserved high schools and higher education institutions, helping them gain access to education and career readiness opportunities. From associate-led mock interviews to guest speaking, we’re hoping to better prepare the next generation of leaders for success, with a special focus on diverse groups.
  • Pro-bono services: We provide pro-bono cybersecurity consulting and creative services to nonprofits in communities across the country.  

This month and year round, BARR associates have a number of opportunities to serve and support their communities. These include participating in our company-led Matching Gift Program, raising money for a cause important to them by running the Raising the BARR 5K, and participating in Day of Giving. BARR associates have two additional service days available to use at their discretion through the Volunteer Paid Time Off program. 

Day of Giving 2022

This year, associates are joining forces in cities across the country for a more impactful Day of Service. Take a look at what some of our host cities are up to this year: 

  • Atlanta: BARR associates in Atlanta will be teaming up with the Atlanta Food Bank (AFB) to help provide for people facing food insecurity. In addition to working to end hunger in the Atlanta community, the AFB also provides other services for the Atlanta community such as helping folks find temporary and permanent housing, providing career training and work services, and additional family services. 
  • Kansas City: Associates are gathering in the birthplace of BARR to spend the day helping with shelter and grounds upkeep at Newhouse KC. Newhouse KC is a local nonprofit organization that provides survivors of domestic violence with an ecosystem of transformative services that lead to safety, self-sufficiency and whole-person healing.
  • New York: Other associates will be meeting up in New York City to work on a parks beautification project with City Parks Foundation at Luther Gulick Park in Manhattan. City Parks Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to invigorating and transforming parks into dynamic, vibrant centers of urban life through sports, arts, community building and education programs for all New Yorkers. 
  • Houston: Associates in Houston will spend the day volunteering with the Houston Humane Society, helping with tasks such as bagging pet food, assembling adoption goody bags, organizing supplies, making toys, and bathing dogs. The Houston Humane Society is dedicated to and working towards ending cruelty, abuse, and the overpopulation of animals while providing the highest quality of life to those brought to them for care. 
  • Washington, D.C.: Local associates in Washington, D.C. are getting together to write kindness cards for the staff and residents of CRi, a local nonprofit organization that provides personalized support and resources to people with developmental disabilities and mental health needs. 

In addition to the team efforts in the cities above, other associates are getting involved in their communities in other ways, such as through filling community fridges with meals, donating blood, cleaning up beaches and parks, and volunteering at local animal shelters. 

“Day of Giving is one of our favorite days of the year. On this day, we all have one shared purpose—to make our communities stronger. It is amazing to see all of the different ways BARR associates serve from coast to coast,” said Hill. 

Here are just a few of the other organizations that BARR associates have chosen to support through volunteer work and financial contributions: 

  • Equal Justice Initiative
  • Downtown Boxing Gym
  • Ruth Ellis Center
  • CASA
  • American Civil Liberties Union Foundation
  • United Negro College Fund 
  • House of Tulip
  • Mission Wildlife
  • The ALS Association
  • Lead to Read
  • Mental Health America
  • New City Neighbors
  • Environmental Defense Fund
  • Center for Reproductive Rights
  • Heart to Heart International
  • Make a Wish Foundation
  • American Red Cross
  • Feeding America

Take a few minutes to find out more about our 2019, 2020, and 2021 BARR Days of Giving.

Interested in learning more about how you or your company can partner with the BARR Belong Foundation? Contact us.

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