After a successful inaugural Week of Service in mid-November of 2022, Foundation Medicine proudly held our second annual Week of Service in the U.S. last month. This week featured a range of ways for Foundation Medicine employees to help give back to their communities, through activities at our office locations, on-site at community organizations or remotely.
Employees engaged with organizations local to our U.S. sites (Boston, Research Triangle Park and San Diego), including:
Boston, MA:
- Hygiene Kit packing for Boston Healthcare for the Homeless (on-site)
- Thompson Island Outward Bound
Research Triangle Park (RTP), NC:
- Card Writing for Children with Cancer, distributed by MIB agents (on-site)
San Diego, CA:
- Card Writing for Children with Cancer, distributed by MIB agents (on-site)
Our volunteers spoke about their experiences giving back to their communities for the second year:
Boston
While there were multiple groups of Foundation Medicine employees that spent time volunteering at Revision Urban Farms in Dorchester, MA, Melissa, Sr Manager, Internal Communications spoke about her time spent volunteering there: “I had a wonderful experience with FMI's second annual Week of Service at Revision Farms in Boston. Our work at the Farm consisted of planting seeds and seedlings, setting up irrigation hoses and reorganizing their greenhouse. It was a lovely chance to meet other Foundation Medicine employees and talk about the work that we do, while getting our hands dirty and giving back to our community. I am so grateful for the opportunity and look forward to doing it again next year!”
Another group of Massachusetts based Foundation Medicine employees volunteered at Thompson Island, an island in the Boston Harbor, where they assisted with the maintenance and conservation of the island’s wilderness to prepare for upcoming Outward Bound student programming. Teodora, Sr Product Owner shared that “It felt kind of like we were at summer camp, and it was nice to connect with fellow Foundation Medicine employees. We spent the day helping to clean up their path for a 5k race as well as the beach area for when their students arrive. I actually personally know a lot of people who did this program as kids, so it was nice to be able to give back to it.”
Food For Free in Somerville, MA helps to provide year-round food programs to groups who are at the highest risk of food hunger. Sarah, Executive Assistant, volunteered with colleagues to assist packing produce boxes for families in the greater Boston area that are facing food insecurity:“It felt really good to be able to help out in our local community while also spending time with colleagues, some of whom I got to know for the first time that day! Week of Service is always such a meaningful way for employees to spend time together and another example of what makes Foundation Medicine is a special place. In just a few hours, we packed approximately 360 boxes of fresh produce for food-insecure residents in Greater Boston.”
Community Servings in Jamaica Plain, MA was another organization that many Foundation Medicine employees spent their time at during our Week of Service. Here they helped assemble meals from scratch for critically ill people and their families. Employees spent their time helping to prepare meals were both nutritious and met the medical needs of the individuals receiving them. Alanna, Specialist, Right to Operate, volunteered here and said that “Week of Service is one of my favorite events that Foundation Medicine does. This year I chose to volunteer with Community Servings. I was drawn here because food is a passion of mine and I strongly believe everyone deserves access to healthy and delicious meals. Being able to help support the Community Servings mission was a fun and wonderful experience and I hope to volunteer there again this year.”
San Diego
Employees at our San Diego site spent time volunteering at Feeding San Diego, where they helped to package meals for local schools, assisting in the organizations goal to work towards ending hunger through food rescue. “It was an incredibly rewarding experience and one that required a strong team effort,” said Angelina, Executive Assistant. “I was delighted to discover that everyone involved was able to find their own place in the operation, whether it was packing food, organizing resources, or getting ready for shipments. It was remarkable to see how smoothly we were able to achieve our goals. Overall, it was a great reminder of the power of community, and I felt a deep sense of pride in being able to contribute to such a meaningful cause."
Serving Seniors, whose mission is to help low-income seniors live fulfilling and healthy lives, is another organization Foundation Medicine employees visited during this week. Not only does this organization aim to help impoverished and homeless seniors have access to meals, but they also aim to assist them with other avenues that will help them thrive including housing, learning programs, and health and social services. Brian, Inside Sales Specialist, who volunteered here said that “It was such a rewarding experience getting to meet both the regular volunteers at Serving Seniors San Diego as well as the recipients of the meals. Everyone was so grateful and full of joy and it gave me a much needed reboot from my regular routine.”
On-site Office Opportunities
Foundation Medicine also offered on-site volunteer opportunities for employees to participate in during this week. At our San Diego and Research Triangle Park (North Carolina) sites, employees had the chance to decorate cards accompanied by encouraging notes which would be passed along to children with cancer. All decorated cards will be distributed by MIB Agents, a leading Pediatric Osteosarcoma Nonprofit.
At our Cambridge location, employees participated in building female hygiene kits for the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless. Within two hours employees, including members of our executive team such as CEO Brian Alexander, were able to put together over 300 kits for this cause.
Remote Opportunities
Our remote employees were also given the chance to participate in our week of service. Jen, Key Account Manager, volunteered at CommunityHealth, an organization based in Chicago whose mission is to provide quality services to people that lack essential health care. Jen reflected on her time spent volunteering here: “In response to the current migrant crisis here in Chicago, CommunityHealth has been setting up field health care stations at the precincts where migrants are staying, to await placement in Chicago. The health care stations provide basic health care screening and triage with opportunities to consult with a provider re basic health care needs and enroll patients into the free community health clinic as established patients. As a Spanish speaking nurse, I was able to assist in this process.” Jen also stated that “I feel grateful to work for a company that not only permits their employees to serve in this capacity but encourages us to do so on volunteer days such as earlier this month.”
Foundation Medicine’s annual Week of Service is part of the expansion of our Community Engagement efforts and our FMI in the Community Program. This program aims to increase Foundation Medicine’s impact on our local communities by partnering with community organizations to support their missions, and provide employees with the support to give back and serve.
- event
- In The Community
- US