Edison Volunteering Spotlight

Starting in August with GEHC’s annual Community Service Day (CSD). At CSD, Edisons (among many other GEHC employees) went to various Milwaukee-area schools to help them prepare for the start of school. This year, Edisons went to the IDEAL school, a unique approach to education from the MPS system. Led by 2022 Edisons Gabriella Rivera and Jackson Tibbs, Edisons painted a US State Map on the school’s blacktop, as well as touching up the basketball court and hopscotch lines - a long-standing tradition of the program.

One 2023 Edison remarked how it felt great to spend a day giving back to our community. She also “really appreciated GE HealthCare’s policies about philanthropy, including matching funds.” She spent the day painting the US State Map, mostly the Northeast. Another 2022 Edison spent the day mulching the front lawn and power-washing the front exterior walls of the school. He said he “enjoyed spending the day with [his] co-workers in a more informal and fun setting. The matching t-shirts are a plus and it was really satisfying power-washing the school. Washing all that grime away”

Back in September, five Edisons spent an afternoon volunteering at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Waukesha. The ReStore distributes donations of high-quality and reusable household items/building materials and supports building and maintaining homes for families in need. Volunteering at this location allows them to lower operating costs and allocate more of its proceeds to housing initiatives. At this volunteering event Edisons helped process donations, sort inventory, and price items. With their help, the ReStore was able to organize and resell a large volume of donations to raise money and keep their storage space clear for future items.

In September & October, Edisons helped to serve the broader community by volunteering at the Friedens Food Pantry - Coggs Center. They helped to pack boxes with nutritional food for the underprivileged community that are unable to travel to the food pantry location due to being homebound. Through a grant with Doordash, these boxes are then delivered directly to the locations of those in need.

The Food Drive in partnership with Friedens has seen significant success this November. With previous years aiming for a $1000 online donation goal to support Thanksgiving meals for families, this year, our combined efforts have exceeded expectations, reaching an impressive $2158 in online donations. This almost doubled last year's total of $1130. This amount was enough to sponsor 58 Thanksgiving boxes for those in need. We also had a great turnout regarding canned good donations, with over 1-3 large boxes filled at every GEHC organization around Milwaukee. The Food Drive concluded on November 28th, and the support and generosity shown have been greatly appreciated.

Looking forward, there are exciting opportunities for community involvement on the horizon. In December, volunteers will be lending their support at the Hindu Temple of Wisconsin in their cafeteria. Additionally, collaborations with the Hunger Task Force are planned for January, February, and March. Stay tuned for more details on these events as the Service Committee remains committed to making a positive impact and supporting those in need. Thank you all for your dedication to this cause. Together, let's continue spreading kindness and making a meaningful difference this holiday season!