Above & Beyond Corporate Responsibility

Every day the people of Disher are making a positive impact at their jobs and in the world around them.  In late June 2015, my two boys and I spent a week in Wartsburg, Tennessee helping those in need by repairing their homes.  We fixed flooring, tore off siding, replaced the walls, and added new windows and siding.  People like Patricia and Kurly appreciate these good deeds.  Seeing their smiles makes me smile inside and out.

After our return, we helped build an obstacle for a kid’s running race to help raise money for the Good Samaritan foundation.  We teamed up with some great folks from GMB Architectural Firm here in Holland and made an obstacle we named “Leap of Faith”.  As the kids approached our obstacle they had to make the decision on which route they wanted. High and dry, or low and wet.  It was a hot day, so most of the kids chose the wet route under the bridge and through the creek.  The kids voted after the race and we won the “Best Obstacle” award.  The real reward was seeing the look on their faces as they made their way through the obstacles.

These are just my stories; other folks here are also creating them.  The stories of stewardship span from Adopt a Highway cleanup, building shelves for Holland Rescue Mission, helping students at Culture Works, repairing wheelchairs at Alternatives in Motion, and so on, and so on.

This brings us up to our biggest event of the year called “First Fruits”. The employees each year submit their favorite charities and then the entire team gets to vote on them.   We support local, regional, national, and international charities. In 2015, Disher supported all of these charities:

+ Children’s Advocacy Center

+ CultureWorks

+ Center for Women in Transition

+ Escape Ministries

+ Appalachian Service Project

+ Alpha Family Center

+ Shields of Hope

+ Camp Blodgett

+ Disability Network

+ Children’s Hope Chest

+ H.O.M.E. Ministries (Love Inc)

+ Not For Sale

+ First Priority of Zeeland

+ Young Life

+ Griffins Guardians

+ Outreach America

+ Turning Pointe Ministries

+ Zero Gravity of Zeeland

+ Lemonade International

+ Project Las Americas

+ Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance

+ Christian Neighbors

+ BSF International

+ Ottagan Addictions Recovery (OAR)

Just to give you an idea of what has been done, here is the list of 90 charities that Disher has supported.  This does not include all the ministries that we have volunteered at or supported in other ways.

+ Adoption Associates

+ Alpha Family Center

+ American Cancer Society

+ Appalachian Service Project

+ Bethany Christian Services

+ Boys & Girls Club of Holland

+ BSF International

+ Camp Ao-Wa-Kiya

+ Camp Blodgett

+ Center for Women in Transition

+ Children’s Advocacy Center

+ Children’s Hope Chest

+ Christian Neighbors, Inc.

+ City on a Hill Ministries

+ Culture Works

+ Disability Network

+ East-West Ministries

+ Engineers Without Borders

+ Escape Ministries

+ Family Life

+ Family Research Council

+ Feed My Starving Children

+ First Priority of Zeeland

+ Focus on the Family

+ Forgotten Man Ministry

+ Gilda’s Club

+ Griffins Guardians

+ Guatemala Missions Trip

+ H.O.M.E. Ministries (Love Inc)

+ Hait Foundation Against Poverty

+ Harbor Humane Society

+ Holland FIRST Robotics (Tentative)

+ Holland Rescue Mission

+ Hospice of Holland

+ House of Hope Orphanage/Heart of the Bride Ministries/Lisa & Jason Hovingh Missionaries

+ Job Seeker Program in Grand Haven, MI

+ Kids Hope USA

+ Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance

+ Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity

+ Lemonade International

+ Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

+ LIFE International

+ Muskegon Humane Society

+ Not For Sale Campaign

+ Ottagan Addictions Recovery (OAR)

+ Outreach America

+ Pregnancy Resource Center

+ Project Las Americas

+ Rachel’s Challenge

+ Ready for Life

+Ready for School

+ Shields of Hope

+ Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children

+ St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital

+ Tree of Life Ministries

+ Truth Alive Ministries

+ Turning Pointe Ministries

+ Winning At Home

+ Young Life

+ Zero Gravity of Zeeland

That is what I call corporate responsibility!  Making that positive ripple of change throughout the entire year is what it is all about.  It’s not just about handing out checks to those in need, it’s about getting involved in relationships that makes the real difference.

Written By: Chuck Beasley – Product Development Engineer | Chuck has a diverse background across many industries and brings those 30 years of design, quality and manufacturing experience to life in a positive and creative manner. He enjoys his community service and mission trips each year as a part of his way of giving back to the world.