“Lead by doing right.” This is not only our corporate purpose statement, it’s a phrase around our offices that is often mentioned and carried out in various ways. Giving back to the communities we do business in means more to us than writing a check—we invest by giving our time as well.

Make A Difference Day, the largest national day of helping others, is sponsored annually by USA WEEKEND Magazine and its 800 carrier newspapers. Make A Difference Day takes place on the 4th Saturday in October each year.

This year, we are supporting the Mid-Columbia Make a Difference Day committee, who is focusing their 2012 initiative on creating care packages for deployed soldiers. Donations for the care packages are being collected, along with cash towards packaging and shipment to actively deployed troops. This seemed like a natural partnership for us, as it aligns with the mission statement of our Veteran’s Support Council (be sure to check out our Veterans page on the website). Employees from all our offices have donated items that the Make a Difference Day committee is requesting. Two of our employees are on the committee, dedicating time and resources to make the assembly and shipping of the packages happen.

It’s exciting to see the project develop. For updates on the project or more information on how you can make a difference on October 27th, visit their website at: http://www.midcolumbiamadd.com/