Posted on Jul 19, 2018
Many Concert employees were deeply saddened by the images of young children being separated from their families at the US/Mexico border. While our community was not directly impacted by these actions, like many people, Concert employees were touched by the tragedy and inspired to respond.
As a new mother, Kristine Sostar McLellan, Concert’s Corporate Communications Manager, was deeply upset by the situation. Channeling her concern into positive action, Kristine organized a fundraising bake sale – “Baking the world a Better Place” – on July 12, 2018 at the Vancouver office to support two charitable organizations that provide assistance and resources to the children and families who have been separated.
“I’m so grateful to the staff at Concert who were so engaged in supporting a cause that I felt we needed to support,” says Kristine. “We wanted to make a significant contribution that could really make a difference in the lives of families going through the unimaginable.”
Dozens of staff contributed their time, donations, and, of course, a range of delectable homemade goodies. Over $600 was raised and with Concert’s match of funds, a donation of $1,000 USD was made to Kids in Need of Defense and Innovation Law Lab.
Kids in Need of Defense focuses on protecting unaccompanied children within the immigration system to ensure that no child appears in court without a lawyer. Innovation Law Lab is a hands-on organization working to support family reunification by maintaining a presence at immigration detention centres and generating the definitive list of children lost within the system.
This type of support is not unusual at Concert: employees are always looking for ways to get involved, and giving back to worthy causes is a way in which Concert strives to make a difference.
“Concert takes pride not only in giving back to the community but also in supporting staff to do the same,” says Brian McCauley, Concert President & Chief Executive Officer. “The values exemplified through our CommunityWorks initiatives span employee-led projects and large-scale organizational endeavours alike.”
This article was written by Georgina Philpotts, Concert Sales & Marketing intern (Queens University).