What do dog training, meals for senior citizens, and book buddies have in common? The ways Rocketeers celebrated Community Day
April 16 is a special day for us at Rocket Software. It’s the 34th anniversary of our company and a day for us to reflect on our successes and recognize the dedication, passion, and excellence of all Rocketeers who have helped get us to where we are today. It’s around this time each year that we celebrate this achievement with Community Day—a tradition where Rocketeers take paid time off to give back to their communities and the organizations they care deeply about. The day is a perfect reflection of our core values - Empathy, Humanity, Trust, and Love - that each and every Rocketeer lives by.
This year, we saw Rocketeers from around the globe engaging in incredible work to help give back and improve the lives of those in their respective communities.
Let’s take a look back at some of the amazing work Rocketeers contributed to this year’s Community Day:
Praveen Kumar Rajan: “My family and I went to the Nazareth Illam Home for the Mentally Ill in Talavady for Community Day. We met the director, the caregivers, and the staff and learned about the therapies that were provided.”
Roger van Valen: “For community day, we spent time training with our guide dog in training, Teuntje. We went to the market, where she needed to learn to ignore people and other dogs, lie down when we were looking around, and lead us between people when walking. She did a great job; in the afternoon, we took her for some nice free time where she could run around and play with other dogs.”
Thiagaraj Selvaraj: “As part of the Community Day celebrations, the Chennai Community decided to support one of the all-girls schools in our community—Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Govt Girls Hr Sec School, Ambattur. Together, we raised funds and provided sports equipment like volleyballs, throw balls, Kho Kho posts, chess mats, and more. It was such a wonderful experience interacting with the students and seeing their happy faces.”
Jacob van Schie: “Today, I went to my favorite volunteer spot, 'Stap Verder' in Amsterdam. I've been doing IT-related work there for 14 years so that other volunteers can help immigrants with creating a life in the Netherlands.”
Nolan Rogers: “I spent the morning of Community Day helping clean up Wildlife Management areas and walking trails in my local community.”
Shawn Laflamme: “I spent the morning doing spring cleanup of nearly 3 miles of trails at the Beaver Brook Association in Hollis, NH. Beaver Brook is a non-profit organization that maintains 35 miles of trails and offers kids nature education and summer camps. We removed debris from recent storms, cleared drainage ditches, and picked up litter.”
Melissa Moreira: “I think it's a sign of a good day when you don't have time to take many pictures. Seven of us from the NE Community spent time at a local Head Start school here in Waltham, Communities United. We provided food donations and ran their monthly open-air market for the school's families to shop. We also put together student care packages with clothing, toiletries, and school supplies.”
Hillary Guillaumin Chavez: “As part of Community Day, 7 Rocketeers from the Carolinas, including myself, got together to volunteer at Pilgrims’ Inn, a multi-dimensional service agency working to assist those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, to move beyond their situation and find independence and stability. Pilgrims' Inn has been a part of the landscape of Rock Hill, South Carolina for over 40 years, and we helped with categorizing grocery items and packing bags.”
Manisha Palsana: “As part of Community today, fellow Rocketeers and I went to Gwinnett County Health and Human Services Center to help pack meals for senior citizens. We helped pack over 325 meals which will be delivered to senior citizens in the community.”
Mark Sapp: “Literacy is the key to academic success, and it’s never too early to get children interested in reading. My wife and I donated to the Book Buddy program for the Lees Summit, MO LSR7 school district, where 22 nominated pre-K students receive their own bookshelf (built by the high school shop classes) with 8 books and a spelling game. But wait, there’s more! Each child got to go on a shopping spree to select 13 more books, all curated by LSR7 librarians, to add to their bookshelf. It was an honor to follow our book buddy as she selected books (and carry them for her).”
Thank you so much to our Rocketeers for giving back on this Community Day! No act of volunteerism is too small to make a positive change in your community.
Learn more about Community Day and what makes it such a special day for Rocket Software.
