Starting in 2014, a group of Hallam-ICS employees come together every year to choose five (one from each of our five office locations) non-profit organizations to receive the Hallam-ICS Award for Community Service. Each selected organization receives a check for $5,000 and a plaque.
The award was established when David Hallam retired from Hallam-ICS:
The Hallam-ICS Award for Community Service is made in honor of David Hallam, our company founder. David established social responsibility as a cornerstone of our company mission, understanding the value of giving back to the communities in which we live and work. In making this award, Hallam-ICS recognizes, supports and encourages your organization’s ongoing commitment to these same ideals.
As it turns out, we are not alone in our belief that a company should exist for more than making money and "maximizing shareholder wealth." Fortune magazine dedicated an entire recent issue to recognize the growing social movement in business and announced their 52 companies that are Changing the World.
We love our communities, we love our clients and we love beer. We decided to put them all together in 2017 for our first (maybe annual!) Hallam-ICS and Beer campaign. We asked and you HOPPED. We invited you to nominate your favorite non-profit organization and in return, we entered you to win a case of your favorite craft beer.
The response was great. We received over 400 nominations and learned about a lot of great non-profit organizations (as well as a slew of craft beer names!) We also got one request for a case of Scotch. Perhaps, next year, Greg! The top five most popular brews by the number of requests were Heady Topper by Alchemist, many varieties of Druthers, Very Hazy by Tree House, Jade IPA by Foothills and several hoppy libations by Switchback.
We also learned a few things about participation in our regions of service. Hands down, New York took the prize for the most nominations! You’d think they drink a lot of craft beer, right? Nah. They use social media to spread the word very well. Go New York!
Our staff also got caught up in the fun, creating videos of their favorite craft beers. Here's one from Ray Racine that garnered the most views on our social media postings:
We are proud to announce the recipients of the 2017 Hallam-ICS Community Service Award!
In New York - Franklin Community Center
A non-profit organization that provides necessities and services to the less fortunate individuals and families in the Saratoga region.
Their mission is to work collaboratively with individuals and other agencies to provide services that will improve the quality of life and foster a sense of neighborhood, community and family for all people.
This is a great organization that is always trying to find innovative ways to help the community. The Community Service Award dollars from Hallam-ICS will go towards supporting their Food Pantry Program, which has provided approximately 104,940 meals to 8,942 individuals in 2016. They are currently experiencing a 19% demand increase over the last year’s figures, so the Community Service Award comes at a time of great need.
Some of the food pantry programs include the following:
- Franklin's Community Gardens- The vegetable and herb garden’s entire harvest goes directly to their customers.
- Plant a Row for the Hungry- A program where local gardeners are encouraged to plant a row for Franklin and donate the produce to their pantry.
- Franklin's Produce Day- They host a free produce day twice a month. Anyone in need has access to fruits and vegetables on that day. On their last free produce day, they served 98 individuals and distributed 604 lbs of produce.
- Franklin's Blue Door Chef Special- This program provides customers with a meal package that includes a healthy recipe and all the ingredients. The recipes are easy to prepare and nutritious. This program is similar to the home delivery meal models. (Our office actually helped them build the herb garden on our service day. The freshly harvested herbs are included inside the meal packages for the Blue Door Chef Special program.)
In Massachusetts - St. Mary’s Home for Children
Since 1877, St. Mary's has been caring for Rhode Island's children. They are dedicated to helping children who have been affected by violence in their homes or communities and/or who have behavioral health issues. Their mission is to create an environment of healing and hope for the children they serve, providing the opportunity for each child to become a healthy adult, capable of healthy relationships. Their programs focus on providing children with the skills and strengths they need to cope with family, school and social environments, while building a strong sense of self-worth and raised aspirations for what each child can become.
In addition to the Community Service Award, Hallam-ICS is providing pro-bono engineering services, assisting St. Mary’s with a grant application to renovate the HVAC system serving one of their school buildings. Mark Felgate and Jamie Spalding spent a day on site recently, working with St. Mary’s staff, performing field investigation. Jamie was so inspired by the experience that he used his Wellness Day to cover his time!
We hope that our financial contribution, combined with our efforts, will help make a difference in the lives of the kids that St. Mary’s serves.
In North Carolina - Marbles Kids Museum
Marbles Kids Museum opened their doors 10 years ago on September 29, 2007. Marbles is a non-profit children’s museum that focuses on learning through play. Located in the heart of downtown Raleigh, Marbles serves a diverse population of families, school groups, and community organizations with dozens of themed exhibits, daily programs, summer camps, IMAX educational and feature films, and special events year-round. Marbles believes in play as a foundation for academic success and emotional well-being, as a way to strengthen families and as a tool to build community. They strongly believe in making a unique museum experience available and accessible to all children.
Marbles exhibits focus on a variety of learning opportunities from musical “Stepnotes”, to counting money at “Moneypalooza”, to learning about the fundamentals of electricity at “Kid Grid”. Whether you are interested in technology, art, health, or sports, there is a place for kids to explore and learn at Marbles.
A few of their programs are listed below:
- Ready Set Learn. Play builds intellectual, social and emotional skill for success in learning and in life.
- Be Healthy Be Active. Play promotes physical development and good health.
- Create Innovate. Play encourages imagination, creativity and self-expression.
- Explore Experiment. Play leads to discovery and kindles curiosity.
- Connect. Play teaches cooperation and collaboration, strengthens families and unites our community.
Our donation will go directly to their new Forward Fund. This will pave the way for the next decade of play at Marbles. The North Carolina office is thrilled to be able to help an organization like this!
In Vermont - Camp Ta-Kum-Ta
Camp Ta-Kum-Ta provides challenging, extraordinary experiences in a safe and loving environment for children who have or have had cancer and their families. Camp exists for Vermont and Northern New York children (including other out-of-state children who are treated in Vermont), at no cost to their families.
Founded in 1984, Camp Ta-Kum-Ta was established through the efforts of Ted and Debby Kessler to recreate the mind and body healing experiences their son Todd, had received at a cancer camp in New York State.
At the very beginning Camp was just a great idea without a name. While in the Pediatric Oncology Unit at the hospital discussing the possibility of a camp where “kids with cancer” can just be “kids”, one of the children still too young to attend exclaimed in frustration “but I want a camp to come ta!”. The name was perfect, and eventually she did get her “Camp Ta-Kum-Ta”. Today, she is one of the many survivors volunteering on staff!
Each year Camp Ta-Kum-Ta tries to squeeze in as many life experiences and memories as possible into one magical week. Along with traditional camp activities such as swimming, athletics, ropes course, and arts & crafts, Camp Ta-Kum-Ta offers once-in-a-lifetime opportunities such as rock climbing expeditions, hot-air balloon rides, formal dances, and lake cruises. The Vermont office is thrilled to support Camp Ta-Kum-Ta!
In Connecticut - Solar Youth
Founded in the fall of 2000, Solar Youth’s mission has been to empower adolescents from New Haven’s low-income neighborhoods to achieve long-life success. Filling the void of traditional classroom education, Solar Youth allows children to get outside and interact with the environment, their communities and each other. Programs are available to children ages 4-13 and are offered year-round. Activities are vast and range from concepts such as the water cycle, anatomy of plants to leading river clean-ups, writing thank-you letters to soldiers overseas and serving food at homeless shelters, among many others. Once in high school, youth can apply to become paid interns and serve as Green Jobs Apprentices. Learning concrete skills associated with carrying out community improvement projects that they design. They also develop skills for general employability, critical problem-solving, communication and working in groups.
Solar Youth’s education motto is “Kids Explore, Kids Do, Kids Teach!” with many opting to participate in Leaders-In-Training program. Upon completion of the Leaders program, they are able to co-lead Solar Youth’s Citycology and Steward programs with adult staff in a partnership that challenges the interns to develop new skills and be positive role models. Youth Educators serve as teachers for younger children as they lead hands-on environmental education programs, and act as environmental stewards by helping make their city a healthier and more beautiful place. Hallam-ICS is overjoyed to support the mission of Solar Youth!
About the Award
As an Employee Owned Company, we honor commitment to being a positive force in improving the lives of the communities in which we live and work. The Hallam-ICS Community Service Award, established in honor of David Hallam, our company founder, is one of the ways we are able to give back to our communities by recognizing and supporting the outstanding charitable organizations. We thank them for their great work of providing hope, warmth and guidance to those in need.
About the author
Keith is a graduate of the University of Vermont with a BSEE and an MBA. He has been with Hallam-ICS since 1988 as an electrical engineer, manager of integration services, CFO, and CEO. He focuses the company on understanding and meeting the needs of each individual client while at the same time delivering the highest possible level of technical expertise.
Read My Hallam Story
About Hallam-ICS
Hallam-ICS is an engineering and automation company that designs MEP systems for facilities and plants, engineers control and automation solutions, and ensures safety and regulatory compliance through arc flash studies, commissioning, and validation. Our offices are located in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Vermont and North Carolina and our projects take us world-wide.