Philanthropic work is part of TBG’s bones. When launching The Brahma Group, Inc. we agreed, from the start, that community service and involvement would be a prominent part of our structure, culture and overall mission. With this promise to ourselves, our business and our community, our non-profit ‘Brahma Strong’ was born.
Although still in the process of becoming an official 501C3, Brahma Strong’s vision is as clear as day; we aim to inspire and encourage positive action within the communities in which we build. With The Brahma Group, Inc. donating a percentage of our Commercial Construction profits to our Brahma Strong organization, we have the opportunity to self-fund projects that will enhance our surrounding communities, building a better tomorrow, piece by piece.
With a strong vision and dedication to our mission, the future for Brahma Strong is bright. But, you have to start somewhere, right? So, we aren’t missing a beat. On Saturday June 23rd, The Brahma Group, Inc. had the pleasure of volunteering with Fort Collins’ Children In Need, powered by Homeward Alliance (previously Homeless Gear). During this half-day event, our team and all the other volunteers were able to experience the joy of serving over 100 Fort Collins families.
If you’re unfamiliar with Homeward Alliance’s organization, their mission is simple: Serve people who are homeless or near-homeless in Northern Colorado.
Specifically, their ‘Children In Need’ program connects homeless, or those in jeopardy of becoming homeless, children and families to supplies and services. At our June 23rd event, our team acted as ‘Personal Shoppers’, where we connected with one family at a time and helped them navigate the event, find materials they needed, direct them to helpful resources and ensure their experience was a pleasant one. The families we had the joy of working with taught us many lessons, but we’ll only share a few:
1. Relationships Matter. At the end of each family’s shopping experience, we were able to guide them outside, where their present child could pick a bicycle to take home. During one of our experiences, towards the end of the event, there was a father and son who were interested in picking out the son’s first bike. We walked through the remaining inventory, sat on a few, talked about the color of some, discussed how the boy may start with a tricycle, but grow into two wheels and much more.
With great excitement, we ended up picking a blue bicycle, with a small bell, with plenty of room for this 6 year old boy to grow. As this father-son duo walked away, both grinning ear-to-ear, it was overwhelmingly clear that this experience wasn’t about the bicycle, it was about all the ways those two wheels would help their relationship grow. It didn’t matter where the bike came from or what model it was, all that mattered was that these two were able to spend an afternoon together, picking out this child’s first bike, with all the excitement of learning how to ride together. Relationships Matter.
2. It All Comes Down To Trust. Fortunately, one of our volunteers was fluent in the Spanish language. With this skill, he was able to interact, converse and connect with families that found trust in his ability to communicate. For those of us that didn’t speak the same language as some of the families we spent the morning with, we found ways to build relationships, outside of verbal conversation. We built trust through energy, eye contact, physical direction, laughter and more.
As the day continued, the ways each group built trust continued to grow as well. From talking about the outdoors, to not talking at all; to helping pick out clothes, shoes, diapers and blankets; to sharing stories about where we first learned how to ride our bikes and the first time we ate Panda Express.
Though the ways we communicated with each family may have differed, the importance of trust remained the same; trust in us, trust in the organization and trust that as a community, we were there for their best interest.
3. Community Is A Powerful Thing. All in all, it was inspiring to witness the community our team showed, alongside Homeward Alliance and their additional volunteers. Northern Colorado is a beautiful place, not only for it’s landscape, but for the heart that the people and organizations of this state continue to show for one another.
Again, the day we spent with Homeward Alliance for their Children In Need event was a memorable one. With much appreciation, we thank them for putting together this program, allowing us to be a part of it, and quarter after quarter, supporting the families of our communities. We greatly appreciated the opportunity to serve alongside their team, working together to get one step closer to achieving their mission. If you are interested in volunteering at future Homeward Alliance events, you can find their information below.
Homeward Alliance: http://www.homewardalliance.org/
Children In Need: http://www.homewardalliance.org/children-in-need/
If you’d like to parter with The Brahma Group, Inc. for upcoming volunteer events as we continue to grow Brahma Strong, please contact us directly. We’d love to have you join our efforts!
