The Pillar Award for Community Service has been designed in partnership by Medical Mutual of Ohio and Small Business News to identify and honor companies that provide an outstanding level of service to the community.
The program seeks to identify good examples of community service, encourage other businesses to make a similar commitment and demonstrate that even small and growing businesses can make a positive impact. The program was open to all companies in Northeast Ohio, and in its first year, three companies from the greater Akron area were selected as winners by an independent panel of seven judges. Profiles of those winners follow.
Helping schools-and students-succeed
PPG Industries Inc.
Barberton
Over the past four years, Barberton’s PPG Industries has made a strong commitment to education, both financially and through the volunteer efforts of its 150 employees.
Through the chemical company’s Partners in Education program, PPG’s efforts reach every aspect of learning-specifically in the fields of science and mathematics. It provides instructional materials to Highland Middle School teachers for use in science classes.
PPG employees act as mentors and tutor students twice a week as part of the school’s After School for Kids program. Other employees participate in career days, science fairs, Earth Day programs, a quarterly Breakfast Club for academic achievers and the Perfect AttenDance for students with excellent school attendance records-all sponsored by PPG.
In a cooperative effort with Barberton City Schools, PPG established an Ecosystem Learning Center and Educational Trail at the company’s Lake Dorothy. The center and trail are used as outdoor classrooms for Barberton’s students.
The company estimates that, collectively, employees donate 1,000 hours each school year to the programs. Based on a conservative estimate of $10 per hour cited in its Pillar Award nomination form, that equals $10,000 a year in volunteer time. In addition, it took approximately 1,000 hours to help plan and build the ecosystem learning center and trail.
PPG allocates $2,400 a year from its facility budget toward the Partners In Education program. The money is used to pay for science and math books, science kits and other materials PPG donates to the schools.
The company’s continuing efforts are aimed at helping to improve educational quality and performance in Barberton’s schools, says Betty Naswadi, facilities administrator in charge of the Partners In Education program. “Our employees have really stood up and taken the challenge to give back to the schools,” Naswadi says. “It’s been exciting to see the results.”
Cause of the Month
Connecting Touch & Wellness Center Inc.
Cuyahoga Falls
Each of Jack Hayes’ 2,000 clients gives to charity. That’s because since 1997, Hayes’ Connecting Touch & Wellness Center Inc. has earmarked money from each massage for charity.
At first, Hayes says, the business donated 5 percent of revenue from each massage. But the company is small-less than $250,000 in revenue for 1998-and the size of his monthly gifts were beginning to choke the young enterprise.
He has since modified the program, donating $1 from each massage, for a total contribution over two years of more than $4,500. And Connecting Touch has spread those donations across the community.
Every month, a new charity is designated to receive the proceeds. Explains Hayes, “We try to educate people. Few people have heard of the smaller charities so they don’t get the funding the big ones do.”
To further that cause, Hayes sets information about that month’s charity in his office waiting room, so clients can learn about the different organizations.
Among the groups that have been recipients of Connecting Touch’s philanthropy are Victim Assistance of Akron, Project Learn, the Battered Women’s Shelter, the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation, Cuyahoga Falls Cancer Club, YWCA Rape and Sexual Assault Services, Haven of Rest, Good Neighbors of Cuyahoga Falls and Project Linus.
Hayes also provides gift certificates to any organization looking for prizes or auction items for fund-raisers. “I’ve never turned anybody away who asks for a donation,” he says. “When I give, it makes my heart smile.”
Doing the heavy lifting
SS&G Financial Services
Akron
When Saltz, Shamis & Goldfarb approached the Alzheimer’s Association two years ago with a proposal to put on a golf outing, representatives of the Cleveland and Tri-County chapters were a bit skeptical of the regional accounting firm’s motives.
But SS&G executives promised to handle everything: event planning, participant recruiting, organization, providing volunteers and rounding up prizes. All that anyone from the Alzheimer’s Association would have to do is show up and tell participants about the association’s good work.
They were astounded, says SS&G Marketing Coordinator Kathy Sautters.
“It’s so easy today for a company to throw money at things,” Sautters says. “It takes more effort to become active participants in events.”
SS&G’s first annual Alzheimer’s Association Golf Outing raised more than $15,000 for the organization, and employees spent more than 400 hours preparing, organizing and implementing the event. This year’s outing raised a similar amount and helped increase awareness about Alzheimer’s disease. The charity was chosen after one of the firm’s founders, Marvin Shamis, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
But SS&G, with offices in Akron, Solon and Cincinnati, has been involved with other causes, too. Its Harvest for Hunger campaign resulted in the donation of 480 pounds of food to the Akron-Canton Food Bank, 590 pounds of food to the Cleveland Food Bank and 120 pounds of food to the Cincinnati Food Bank.
Other organizations that have benefited from SS&G’s efforts are the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Inventure Place, Case Western Reserve University, First Night Akron and the JCC of Akron.
Other winners
In all, 11 companies were selected as winners of the 1998 Pillar Award for Community Service. Here are the others:
- Arnold & Co. Communications, Beachwood, full-service marketing agency;
- Cleveland Grand Prix Charities Inc., Cleveland, auto race organizer and fund-raiser;
- Cohen & Co., Cleveland, regional accounting and consulting firm;
- Conley Canitano & Associates, Mayfield Hts., information technology firm;
- Mr. Hero/Restaurant Developers Corp., Independence, food service company;
- Public Relations Partners Inc., Cleveland, public relations firm;
- Ross Equipment, Cleveland, aerial work platform sales and rentals;
- WKYC TV-3, Cleveland, television station.
All winners were to be honored Dec. 3 at an awards banquet in the Cleveland area. Sponsors of the Pillar Award for Community Service are Medical Mutual of Ohio, The State Bank and Trust Co. and The Hoffman Group.
Panel of judges
Judges for the Pillar Award were:
- Lee Bailey, executive director, The Citizen’s League;
- Dr. Nelson Bardecio, executive director, El Barrio;
- Kent Clapp, chief executive officer, Medical Mutual of Ohio;
- Polly Clemo, associate director for institute advancement, Benjamin Rose Institute;
- John Hairston, external programs directorate, NASA;
- Patricia Horvath, associate executive director, The Health Museum of Cleveland;
- Fred Koury, chief executive officer, Small Business News Inc.
