BOSTON — This November, more than 1,200 HMH employees came together to participate in the learning technology company’s 10th annual Volunteer Week, logging over 4,200 volunteer hours over the course of five days. With 53% of HMH employees participating, this marked unprecedented engagement in and commitment to volunteerism.
Anchored by its HMH Classroom Corps program – which enables HMH employees to volunteer in service of teachers and students – from Boston, New York, Chicago and Austin to Dublin, Montreal, China and beyond, HMH employees made a deep impact on their communities, partnering with more than 70 different nonprofit organizations and serving over 6,200 students.
Additional Highlights from Volunteer Week 2021 include:
- Mural Painting in Boston: Volunteers in Boston, with the help of City Year Greater Boston, painted a mural on a playground that’s used by a local school daily.
- Delivering Groceries in Portland: Volunteers in Portland, Oregon, worked with Store to Door to deliver groceries to those in need.
- Creating Care Packages in Dublin: In Ireland, HMH team members created care packages for individuals experiencing homelessness, cleaned local beaches and spent a day working on a community farm.
- Supporting Teachers in Orlando: A group of Orlando employees spent a day organizing, sorting and packing school supplies at A Gift For Teaching, an organization that opens its doors to teachers in need of school supplies, books, and hygiene items for their students.
- Web editing in Canada: Colleagues in Canada helped revamp an early literacy nonprofit’s website to make the experience more accessible for families.
- Virtual volunteering: Hundreds of employees participated in virtual volunteer projects from home: decorating lunch bags and donating nonperishable food items to the nonprofit Kids’ Meals Inc., creating 1,710 flashcards to benefit North Carolina students, via Classroom Central and shipping 60 KidPacks of new clothing items for children in need through Cradles to Crayons’ Giving Factory Direct virtual clothing drive.
“At HMH, we are focused on improving educational outcomes for Pre-K–12 students in underserved communities. We value Volunteer Week, as this is our dedicated time every year when we can connect our employees to volunteer projects that impact students around the world. We’re grateful to our nonprofit partners for enabling us to give back in a meaningful way, beyond our day-to-day job responsibilities,” says Jackie Bright, Director, Corporate Social Responsibility.
Added Mollie Puskar, Senior Director of Philanthropy, City Year Greater Boston, “HMH volunteers always bring energy, they always bring passion, and they always contribute so much to City Year, having a positive impact on our schools and communities.”
“I have had the opportunity to participate in Volunteer Week since its inception,” says Bianca Olson, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, “and in my opinion, this was the best year yet—bringing together the best of both in-person and virtual volunteerism with a renewed passion and spirit.”
For the first time this year, HMH volunteers split into regional teams and joined in a friendly competition for highest participation rate and a chance to make a $10,000 donation to a nonprofit organization of their choosing. Team Global, with employees based in Ireland, Canada, China and the United Arab Emirates, earned the top spot and selected Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation, an Ireland-based nonprofit that provides in-home nursing care and respite support for children with severe neurodevelopmental delay. The donation will provide will provide 555 hours of in-home care to families in local communities across Ireland.
About HMH Volunteer Week
HMH Volunteer Week is a beloved annual tradition that connects employees with community service opportunities around the world. While employees are encouraged to volunteer year-round, this special week dedicated to volunteerism brings us together as a community in a unique way. HMH Volunteer Week allows everyone to carve out time each year – to take a step back from our day-to-day work to give back to students, teachers and broader community members in need.
About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (Nasdaq: HMHC) is a learning technology company committed to delivering connected solutions that engage learners, empower educators and improve student outcomes. As a leading provider of K–12 core curriculum, supplemental and intervention solutions, and professional learning services, HMH partners with educators and school districts to uncover solutions that unlock students’ potential and extend teachers’ capabilities. HMH serves more than 50 million students and 3 million educators in 150 countries. For more information, visit www.hmhco.com
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CONTACT
Melissa Woods
Communications Manager
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
617-351-5020
Melissa.Woods@hmhco.com