Give Bags

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Giving Back with Give Bags: Supplies for Students

Posted on by Amelia Yeager

Pictured: Mitch Kovalsky, Project Engineer at Asphalt Materials, Inc., with his Give Bag

Last month, the Heritage family of companies collected supplies for local schools and organizations benefitting students as part of the Give Bag campaign. First launched with a diaper drive in March, this year’s campaign features four opportunities throughout the year for Heritage employees to give back, culminating in a Day of Service in November. Each collection aligns with The Heritage Group’s strategic giving priorities: sustainability, STEM education and families. In May, locations across the country collected items for foster youth, which were donated to dozens of local organizations. As the school year approaches, everything from backpacks to notebooks to art supplies went into Give Bags this July, resulting in a total of 15,763 items. 

“We all need help sometimes, and I’m more than happy to help out in any way that I can. It’s great to work for a company where helping the community is a priority.” — Rebecca Rivers Duncan, business administrator at Asphalt Materials, Inc. (AMI) and a member of the Social Impact Task Force

THE RIGHT PATH

Interns Nate Foy and Fergus Washington-Smith pack some of the 5,116 items from AMI to be donated to the Glick Center.

At Heritage Construction + Materials’ (HC+M) Indianapolis location, donations were delivered to The PATH School (TPS), a free public charter school for grades K-8 that supports students’ social and emotional – as well as academic – growth. Their mission hits close to home for HC+M executive assistant Maly White, who sits on TPS’s board. “My passion is to show the youth that they can make it,” she said. “I’m a product of the LA Unified School District, and the trajectory of there to where I am now is my ‘why.’ People invested their time, energy and knowledge in me along the way, and now it’s my turn to do the same.” 

Maly joined the Heritage family following a 20-year career in social services, where she worked with students and adults with special needs. “Most recently, I worked at the Center for Leadership Development, which had a partnership with The PATH School,” she said. “When I came to Heritage, I wanted to maintain that connection in serving youth. I was approached about being a board member, and I accepted.” Since joining the board, Maly has become immersed in the school’s mission, students and environment. 

The school supply drive is only the latest example of HC+M’s involvement with TPS. Several Heritage co-workers have joined Maly in volunteering with students and donating items, including hats, gloves and scarves last winter. “Here at The Heritage Group, we’re serving people from the heart,” Maly said. “That’s the connection I make with The PATH School: albeit in a different capacity, we’re serving people.” By harnessing the power of the Heritage family, her HC+M office gathered 2,275 school supplies for the students at TPS. 

THG’s commitment to serving local families extends far beyond the first day of school. In September, employees will fill Give Bags with donations for domestic violence shelters and victims of abuse, and in November, employees at THG’s Indianapolis headquarters will partner with the Fay Biccard Glick Neighborhood Center at Cooked Creek for a nationwide Day of Service. For more information on THG’s giving and service efforts, visit https://thgrp.com/community/. 

 

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Supporting Foster Families

Posted on by Amelia Yeager

Family: The cherished framework of our Heritage culture and one of the big reasons I was drawn to work for this company. Healthy, loving families come in many forms, foster families being one.

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Foster Kids & Families

On any given day in the United States, nearly 424,000 children live in foster families. Foster families open their homes to provide a safe place for kids who’ve experienced physical, sexual or emotional abuse, neglect or other dramatic family disruption. Research shows that kids who experience highly stressful, traumatic experiences in their young lives have a higher risk for chronic health problems, mental illness and substance use problems in adolescence and adulthood. Early abuse can also negatively impact educational achievement, job opportunities and earning potential. However, a stable, supportive relationship with an adult can help children do well, even when they have faced significant hardships.

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Supporting Foster Families

May is National Foster Care Month, a cause near and dear to our Heritage family. Several employees serve as foster parents and other advocates, and we have former foster kids — including myself — among us too. To show our support for foster kids and families, our collective Heritage family is conducting a Give Bag collection May 2-20. The focus on foster support also aligns with the work of the J. E. Fehsenfeld Family Foundation (JEFFF) and is squarely in the center of Heritage’s strategic giving pillar which focuses on thriving children.

Lisa Ziemba, President, J.E. Fehsenfeld Family Foundation shared, “I’m excited to see The Heritage Group companies supporting an issue that is so important to the family foundation. For many years, JEFFF has provided regular support to a variety of foster care organizations across the country.”

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Families in the Trenches

Mike Wagley, plant operator at Asphalt Materials Inc.’s Warsaw plant, and his wife, Misty, have served as foster parents for 16 years. The children they’ve taken in through the program have ranged in age from 1 year to 17 years old. “Most kids only come into the home with a bag of clothes to their name,” Mike shared, “and most of the clothes aren’t fit to use.” Mike and Misty help their foster kids find a sense of normalcy by encouraging them to participate in school activities, sports and music. As a foster family, they enjoy going bowling, camping and visiting local racetracks.

Brandon and Rachel Roll’s family

Brandon Roll, leadman at US Aggregates’ Flat Rock quarry, and his wife, Rachel, saw a post on social media about the number of foster children in Indiana and the lack of available homes. In their hearts, they knew they had to do something. For one year, they’ve been foster parents and have welcomed 14-year-old twin girls into their family. When asked what items would be most helpful to collect for foster kids and families, Brandon suggested, “Clothes are always good (our foster children came to us with hardly any), gift cards for the foster kids so that they can purchase things that they want — this also gives them the chance to make decisions in a time when a lot of decisions are made for them — and their favorite candy and snacks.” He added, “Tickets to sports games, amusement parks, the zoo, etc., are a great gift! These fun times empower kids to be kids, something many foster children desperately need!”

Keely and Todd Hillard

Todd Hillard, senior purchasing manager for Asphalt Materials Inc., and his wife, Keely, had a desire to give back and began opening their home to kids in need last year. They currently have two foster kids, ages 2 and 4. Todd described the 2-year-old as quiet, sneaky and silly and the 4-year-old as energetic, caring and wild. Both children enjoy parks and playing. Regarding the May give bag collection for foster kids and families, Todd said, “I’m glad that our organization is supporting those in need. Foster families need support through both material needs and emotional needs.”

My Own Family

My kindergarten photo – You’ll see I got myself ready by cutting my own bangs.

I was a foster kid, too. I was part of the system my entire adolescence, in and out of different children’s homes, institutions and foster care as the cycle of poverty and addiction kept getting ahold of my young single mother. Her rights were eventually terminated when I was 13, and I aged out as a ward of the state with early emancipation at 17 years old. It wasn’t an easy time for me. I felt abandoned, like no one loved me or cared enough to protect me and help me succeed. So, personally, my heart goes out to the kids who are part of the system. It is hard to understand that this time won’t last forever when you are living through it.

The truth is countless people gave to me, from a kind word to a space in their home. Those experiences shaped me into who I am today. With my husband of 31 years, I’ve established a home where our children know the door is always open. I am an exception to the statistics. I had nothing when I was released at age 17. I worked retail to survive. It wasn’t until I was in my 30s while working full time at Riley Children’s Foundation that I put myself through Indiana Wesleyan’s evening adult program to earn a business management degree. Much of what I’ve been able to accomplish for my own family has been a result of hard work and becoming a part of this big Heritage family nearly nine years ago. I am grateful that they bet on me!

My work on the Social Impact Task Force and research into children in need of services recently led me to complete training with the Morgan County CASA program. I now serve as a court-appointed special advocate for abused and neglected children in my county.

Submitted by Patti Gault, Strategic Communications Director, Heritage Construction + Materials; Vice Chair, Social Impact Task Force, The Heritage Group

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Giving Back with Give Bags: Diaper Banks

Posted on by Amelia Yeager

Pictured: Social Impact Task Force Vice Chair Patti Gault, Strategic Communications Director at Heritage Construction + Materials, purchasing diapers to donate with her granddaughters Norah and Audrey.

THG’s Alex Ray, Director of Business Development, poses with his family at The Center’s diaper collection point.

During the month of March, 25 locations across the nation harnessed the power of the Heritage family to make an impact at a local level. The first of four collections to take place in 2022, our Heritage diaper drive encouraged thousands of employees to contribute to diaper banks in their communities. Altogether, the Heritage family donated 35,532 diapers and 30,473 other supplies, like baby wipes and baby powder, for a combined total of 66,005 items.

The sum is only one side of the collection’s impact. Each participating location chose one or more local organizations to receive their donations, ensuring that the items collected made a difference in our communities across the nation. Last month’s campaign was the Heritage family’s first chance to use their Give Bags, large reusable totes provided to employees to facilitate donations.  

From Ohio…

Candy Faloon of East Liverpool’s United Way poses with HTS’s donations.

Heritage Thermal Services (HTS) in East Liverpool, Ohio, collected 1,060 diapers and 1,435 other supplies, including baby wipes and baby shampoo. Raymond Wayne, HTS’s Public Affairs Specialist and a member of The Heritage Group’s Social Impact Task Force, which organized the nationwide diaper drive, saw an opportunity to serve the surrounding community. 

“When I came to East Liverpool, our team here began engaging with the community even before operations got underway, and those activities remain ongoing,” Raymond said. 

“The Social Impact Task Force is an opportunity to share best practices with others in the company who are committed to serving the communities where Heritage employees live and work. The diaper drive was the task force’s inauguration, and we were not going to miss the opportunity to help make it a success!” 

As HTS employees gathered diapers and supplies in their Give Bags, Raymond connected with Candy Faloon, director of the local United Way, to coordinate a recipient. Candy passed the donations on to Family and Community Services, the local social services agency with the greatest need for diapering essentials. 

…to Texas

David Flowers, Facility Supervisor, poses with donations at Monument Chemical’s Houston collection point.

Over 1,300 miles away, in Houston, Texas, Monument Chemical collected 9,683 diapers and 12,729 diapering supplies for multiple local organizations. Monument Chemical’s Health, Safety, Security and Environment Coordinator Gloria O’Bannon, who also serves on the Social Impact Task Force, organized the area’s Give Bag collection. For Gloria, the campaign was a team effort: “Our site champions did a great job of engaging our employees by establishing a dedicated drop-off point for donations, sending emails, and highlighting the drive on TV monitors out in plant. I also attended safety huddles to explain the Give Bag concept and our goals for the year.” 

“Working for a company that cares about the community where our employees work and live is very important to me.” — Gloria O’Bannon, Monument Chemical

Because of the geographic scope of Monument’s operations, Gloria’s team had to get creative by coordinating the delivery of online donations. “It was fun getting Amazon deliveries and seeing our remote employees participate in the drive,” she said. Monument Chemical’s Houston location ultimately contributed one-third of the total donations from the Heritage family. “In fact, we had so many donations, we were able to support multiple organizations,” Gloria said, “including Arms of Hope and Meade County Community Action.” 

A Year of Giving

In May, the Heritage family will come together again to fill their Give Bags with donations for foster children and youth-serving organizations. By harnessing a network of over 5,000 employees nationwide, the Heritage family hopes to make a similar impact later this spring. Until then, locations continue to get involved in their local communities through educational initiatives, donations, household hazardous waste collections and volunteering.