Global Outreach: AvePoint Lends a Helping Hand at The Salvation Army Community Center
The Salvation Army has been serving communities around the world since 1865, with the New Jersey division in operation since 1880. However, as locals know, New Jersey is a very densely populated state. To accommodate the vast population, the New Jersey division expanded from their first center in Newark to 28 additional community centers throughout the state.
On Thursday, September 17, a team from the AvePoint global headquarters visited The Salvation Army Community Center in Jersey City, NJ, to volunteer. Located right in the heart of Jersey City, this center serves the community by running a childcare program for children up to age 14, both before and after school hours. While the center employs a caring and supporting staff, they are always excited to have additional helping hands on deck!
After AvePoint employees arrived on site they were split into groups to help with various needs throughout the center. Since the Salvation Army runs primarily on charitable donations, volunteers are vital in order to keep the site up and running. One area in particular that needed attention was the community kitchen. Several employees put their paint skills to the test as they revitalized the area with a fresh coat!
Additional employees helped by participating in the After School Program at the Salvation Army. This care center focuses on education and aims to give children the support and resources they need to succeed. A core component of the program involves providing homework help to students who may need extra assistance. With AvePoint’s help, there were more adults on staff, which led to more one-on-one learning for homework help that day!
Some of the younger children didn’t have homework assignments just yet, but there were still fun, education-related activities for them to partake in, including finger painting and group story time.
The center is also equipped with a large recreation area, as well as a full-scale gymnasium, and a game room, for indoor activities.
The AvePoint volunteers had a great time working with the children, and their hard work didn’t go unnoticed! The Salvation Army Business Manager, Guy DeAngelis, who has been with the center for the past thirty years, was very impressed with the interaction and level of engagement the employees shared with the students.
The feeling was mutual with AvePoint members as well. Michelle Cavallo, AvePoint Sales Operation Analyst, stated, “Those kids stole my heart, but I’ll let them keep it.”
AvePoint team members were very happy to dedicate their time to The Salvation Army for their Q3 Global Outreach initiative, and will definitely be back in the future.
For more information regarding The Salvation Army and how to donate or volunteer, please visit their website.
I am an experienced HR Professional that is brand new to the tech world! Previously, I worked in Advertising/Media where I was a Strategic Media Planner and then switched my passion towards Human Resources in January of 2013. I absolutely love working with people in a collaborative/fresh environment and thinking of creative ways to instill a sense of culture within the corporate world.
