—Meagan Swanson
Manager, Fixed Income Research

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. — Aesop

As we planned for the 2015 department-wide Giving Back initiative, we once again followed the simplified framework that was created last year to help us achieve our stated goals. This framework includes the following elements:

• Identify a local, well-respected organization that supports a value system in line with our own at Commonwealth.
• Organize a series of events that would allow people to participate in any manner they could, whether with their time, money, or donated goods.
• Cultivate collaboration across the firm and within our department while maintaining a fun, welcoming environment.
• Celebrate the success of this initiative and of the impact possible through teamwork.

With this framework in mind, we worked with Paula O’Shaughnessy to identify the most appropriate organization. This exercise led us to Local Heroes, a local organization with an admirable objective, passion for impact and interest in supporting veterans, as well as active soldiers abroad. We were fortunate enough to be able to partner with our very own Joe Mayo, who maintains a strong relationship with this organization, to organize and execute this initiative. His involvement was paramount in identifying the organization’s greatest needs, managing communication with key individuals, and, ultimately, delivering the donations.

Again this year, we decided to organize and implement a multifaceted initiative, which included:

• A care package drive to support local soldiers stationed abroad with the express aim of providing some of the comforts of home. In this effort, employees across Commonwealth donated personal care items, toiletries, food, books, DVDs, supplies, and more.
• A casual day to raise money to provide monetary support to local veterans integrating back into civilian life.
• A department-wide event to (1) sort and organize the donated goods and (2) celebrate the experience, as well as the end result!

Through the help, adaptability, and persistence of those across our department as well as the firm, we were able to overcome the trials and tribulations of winter in New England (February 2015 has been the snowiest month on record in Boston with 63-plus inches falling!) to successfully identify, organize, cultivate, and celebrate during the first week of February. On February 23, Joe Mayo dropped off our final contribution, which consisted of:

• An impressive array of in-kind donations:
  • 60 DVDs and more than 65 books
  • Over 150 different food and snack items
  • 700 different personal care items
  • More than 20 pairs of socks
• A check made out to Local Heroes for $5,000 thanks to a generous match from Commonwealth Cares

We’d specifically like to thank Gavin Morrissey, Paula O’Shaughnessy, Joe Mayo, Laura Griffin, Holly Sivec, Kim Hiltz, and everyone else who played a vital role in this initiative, as well as Commonwealth Cares. We sincerely appreciate the support and generosity of all those involved! Thank you for making this a high-impact initiative that we can all be proud of.