I know that many companies talk about their community involvement. Some sponsor their local Little League football team; others support their local Food Bank. For us at Phantom Screens, community involvement and paying it forward is written into our DNA.
We don’t get involved because it looks good in our Annual Report, or it’s something that we can feel smug about. We don’t do it because we feel we should or our board tells us that we must.
We get involved because we can. And because we care.
Like many companies, we have a mission statement. But we also have a set of Vision and Values (I’ve already blogged about one of them – to always speak the truth). And those Vision and Values are an expression of what makes Phantom Screens, well Phantom Screens.
One of the things people tell me about working at Phantom is that they like the fact that we care about people – not just those who work here, but people in our local community. Sure, our business is selling retractable door screens and window screens. But that doesn’t mean that’s all we do.
We are a successful company and we all believe that success means we can make a difference.
So that all sounds fine in theory – but what does it actually mean in practice? It simply means that we want our success to be defined by not only what we make, but what it allows us to do and how it enables us to give back to others.
For example, in our 20th Anniversary year, we have focused our community involvement on fundraising for The Cyrus Centre in our local town of Abbotsford. The Cyrus Centre is a starting point for young people who are living on the streets to put their lives back together. The centre provides meals, shelter, clothing, advocacy, referrals, showers, laundry, life skills, employment coaching and freedom from sexual exploitation. It’s a truly worth cause.
Now if all that sounds a bit dry and theoretical, I just want to reassure you that in practice, it’s a lot more interesting – and fun! This year, we’ve had bake sales, and sponsored test drives, a food fundraiser, family fundraiser and even a Christmas gift wrapping service. It’s been really good fun – and raised a ton of money to help out the Cyrus Centre.
But really why do we bother? We get involved because we believe it’s the right thing to do. We do it because our success allows us to give back and pay it forward – just because we’re a commercial company doesn’t mean we don’t care.
We do. All of us. And we are incredibly thankful that we can help out our local community. As the Executive Director of the Cyrus Centre says: “By offering up hands and hearts to those we serve, we are making a difference in our community”.
Find out more about the Cyrus Centre at their website: www.cyruscentre.com
To read more about Phantom Screens’ value of practicing stewardship, click here