The AccuFoundation: Charity Volunteering & Fundraising at Accu
In the spirit of giving back, Accu is proud to be partnering with local charities to help make a positive impact on our community. In 2022, we launched the AccuFoundation, with the aim to inspire everyone at Team Accu to raise awareness and get hands-on experience supporting local charities.
At the heart of our initiative is the opportunity for our team members, like Kieran who won a trip to Kenya at our annual summer conference, to actively participate in fundraising events and the chance to engage with organisations dedicated to giving back to those in need.
Volunteering For A Better Tomorrow
Each year, all Accu team members are given the opportunity to participate in a full day of charity work. This is offered as a day of paid leave, where instead of carrying out their day-to-day role within the business, they instead get to help a charity of their choice.
Should they wish to continue volunteering, Accu encourages all team members to do so. Our four day work week is designed to enable this, whilst helping everyone to enjoy a healthy work-life balance. This also means more time to spend with family, enjoying hobbies and pursuing their passions outside of work.
Accu’s volunteering programme aims to offer more than just financial support to the charities. It’s our belief that actively participating in community projects helps to inspire a culture of giving that extends beyond the workplace. With once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, such as Kieran’s trip to the Soysambu Conservancy in early 2024, being just one example of how the AccuFoundation can support causes further afield.
Volunteering and charity work are key values at Accu, as we aim to be pioneers in not only engineering, but also developing opportunities. Leading by example, our UK Operations Director Richard takes an active role in charity work in his spare time - recently commenting that his philosophy is “charity is at the heart of a successful society”. Along with training to be a magistrate and mentoring within schools, he also owns a hedgehog sanctuary with his wife, Mel.
How Accu Has Supported Local Charities In 2023
KIRKWOOD HOSPICE
In June 2023, our Community Manager, Matt Ogden, had the chance to help at the Kirkwood Hospice donation centre, helping to fulfil online orders sold through their eBay store. The Kirkwood Hospice offers services, care and community support for people with life limiting illnesses. Matt used his experience working at Accu to help their volunteers sort through donations, check stock and package up orders.
HOLLYBANK TRUST
In June 2023 Demi-Leigh Searle and Matthew Coles enjoyed a day supporting The Hollybank Trust at their annual Hollyfest. At the Hollybank Trust, the dedicated team delivers education, therapies and residential care to provide much needed respite to families who would otherwise struggle to meet the needs of their children. The volunteers from Accu helped to support the events team and even learned some Makaton, a type of sign language used by some of the children and service users.
FORGET ME NOT HOSPICE
A month later it was the turn of five of our team members, Jessica Gallagher (Head of Customer Experience), Luke Gallagher (Merchandising Manager), Faye Williams (Customer Satisfaction Specialist), Thomas Moss (Warehouse Team Leader) and Piotr Kotlewski (Warehouse Operative), to help the Forget Me Not Hospice in contributing towards the efforts of their garden project. The Forget Me Not Hospice offers a multitude of services for families with children in need through the most difficult times.
RSPCA
Next it was the turn of Kevin and Daniel to give their time in helping at the RSPCA’s ‘K9 party in the park’ event. The RSPCA is a long established centre for the rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming of animals in need. Kevin and Daniel thoroughly enjoyed being part of the event, helping to collect donations and hand out gift bags.
THE WELCOME CENTRE
Finally, we would like to shine the spotlight on our charity of the year - The Welcome Centre. The charity focuses on helping those in financial crisis by offering toiletries, essentials and food through their food bank. In July 2023, Danielle Roberts chose to spend her volunteering day helping the organisation to pick, pack and organise supplies for those in need.
Building Tomorrow Starts Today
At Accu our primary purpose is to serve progress in engineering, by continually innovating the way we deliver components to manufacturers driving positive change. Through our experiences supporting these projects, we know that even the smallest components can help bring their ideas to life, impacting billions of people worldwide.
Innovations then start from within. As such, our charity and volunteering opportunities are designed to give back to the people within our community, helping to create an inspiring workplace that encourages everyone to learn, innovate and grow.
Want to help build the future with us? Learn how you can thrive with Accu.