SM&W’s core purpose is to enhance the places we live, work and play in. We take that mission well beyond the office by giving back and contributing to the communities we are lucky enough to be a part of. Because of our global reach, our team comes from all over and holds many different backgrounds and passions. However, at the end of the day, we all work together to do what’s right for our clients, families, and communities.
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While we have a rich history of community service and charitable contributions, this year we sought out to make company-wide contributions to our many local communities. In 2019 alone, SM&W participated in over a dozen different charitable events across our multiple offices. We raised thousands of dollars and donated hundreds of hours to those in need. Some of our many initiatives throughout the year included:
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- – Our Chicago team participated multiple events from 5K runs to cornhole competitions, with their combined event efforts supporting both the Children’s Miracle Network and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
- – Our Denver Office fought off a snow storm to get together and pack groceries for children in need with Food for Thought, an organization that strives to tackle childhood hunger.
- – Our DC office hosted a toy drive for Children’s National Medical Center. Our team raised over $600 worth of toys that will filter back through the hospital’s play rooms and gifts for child patients.
- – Our San Francisco office sponsored and participated in the 37th annual Sandcastle Classic, benefiting LEAP Arts in Education, which strives to provide arts education programs to students in California.
- – Our Greater Philadelphia office dedicated their time and funding to Cradles to Crayons, where they spent a day working in a warehouse sorting and packing donations for children in poverty in the Philadelphia region.
- – SM&W sponsored and participated in the 47th Annual National Organization of Minority Architects Conference. This conference gathers 900+ minority architects together to learn and give back to various communities all over the country. This year, the conference was hosted in Brooklyn, where SM&W was able to participate in a Career Day, a Design Charrette Workshop and the annual 5K race.
- – Our New York office took part in multiple events as well. First, our team volunteered to serve food to those in need at St. John’s Bread & Life kitchen, an organization that feeds over 3,000 hungry New Yorkers daily. Secondly, our office hosted a trivia event raising money for Movember, the movement for awareness and prevention of illnesses affecting men’s health.
- – Our President & CEO, Tom Shen, helped celebrate the launch of the Avenue of Aces program through the U.S. Tennis Association, where he sits on the board. The money from each paver sold to the Avenue of Aces goes directly back into the organization’s programs nationwide.
Our team members regularly serve their local communities in more ways than just one. Some of our staff volunteer for Ronald McDonald, the Boy Scouts of America, or even give back to disaster relief efforts for catastrophic events like Hurricane Harvey in Houston and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. We are incredibly proud to be able to make such an impact across our many markets, and, looking forward, we plan to continue to make positive impacts in our communities and be a pillar of inclusion and compassion.
