One Week, Countless Connections: The People and Purpose Behind Global Volunteer Week

There are a few different ways to measure the impact of McGraw Hill’s Global Volunteer Week.

The scale of the annual company-wide effort continues to grow. This year alone, over 500 employees across four countries came together to donate more than 1,000 hours of their time and energy to organizations in their communities.

But the numbers only tell part of the story. The most powerful measure of the campaign’s success is the impact on those who participate – from the hundreds of McGraw Hill employees who rolled up their sleeves to make a difference to the thousands of individuals whose lives were touched by their efforts.

We recently sat down with five Red Cube Cares leaders around the world to hear how their team’s volunteering events unfolded and the unexpected rewards of giving back.

Lending a Hand, Close to Home
When Yolanda Pigden and Melissa Tomlinson were brainstorming ideas for this year’s Global Volunteer Week, they knew they wanted an in-person event near the Toronto office that could be easily duplicated by colleagues scattered throughout Canada. 

The longtime Red Cube Cares leaders quickly zeroed in on food banks—more specifically the Fort York Food Bank. Located just 20 minutes from the Toronto office, the 1,000-square-foot facility offered a meaningful way for the volunteers to support their neighbors in need. And that need is unmistakable: The food bank once served roughly 160 people each week. Now it helps 4,290. Lines form early in the day and often stretch around the corner.

During the team’s three-hour shift, Pigden and 19 colleagues helped with everything from bagging eggs and distributing food to clients to stocking shelves and breaking down boxes. 

The work was physically demanding, but eye-opening, too. “It’s sad in some ways because you’re seeing people from all walks of life,” Pigden says. “You see families with children. You see immigrants. You see people experiencing homelessness. But you also see people who have a home like me or you but can’t afford to eat once they pay their bills."

The day was such a success that the team has already locked in next year’s plan: a return to the Fort York Food Bank. “At McGraw Hill, we place a lot of importance on giving back, being there for those in need, and holding space for the fact that there’s more going on outside of our daily jobs,” Tomlinson says. “I don’t see a lot other companies doing that, so it feels good that we do.”

A Volunteer Tradition That’s Here to Stay
There was no question where Elle Magarelli and her coworkers in New Jersey would spend Global Volunteer Week. They’ve long supported NJ Rise, and this year was no different. A team of 15 signed up to volunteer at the nonprofit’s thrift store in Hightstown, N.J., logging three-hour shifts across three days.

The tasks were familiar to anyone who has ever worked in retail: sorting donations, shelving and hanging clothes, organizing accessories, changing mannequins’ outfits, helping customers. 

Just as rewarding, she says, was spending time with coworkers in a giving atmosphere. “Engaging in meaningful activities allows for better connections in new settings” Magarelli explains.

Though this year’s Global Volunteer Week has passed, the team plans to help out again soon—this time at Rise’s food pantry. And as in years past, they’ll also buy groceries for families around Thanksgiving and hand out holiday gifts to the children the organization supports. 

Where Giving Meets Community
Last November, McGraw Hill’s Chicagoland employees raised nearly $25,000 for the Greater Chicago Food Depository. And this May, 65 team members pitched in at the food depository firsthand. In just a few hours, they sorted, bundled, weighed, and loaded enough apples to feed 5,300 families.

The work wasn’t exactly easy, but it was deeply needed. In Chicago, one in five families struggles with food insecurity. When nutrition suffers, so does learning, says Anke Weekes, who organized the event.

The cause hits close to home for her. “I’m from Germany, and I was able graduate from college in the States thanks to a lot of hard work and the support of many kind people,” she says. “I began a career in education almost immediately, and I’ve seen firsthand how transformative education can be. That’s why I dedicate my free time to volunteering—so I can help more students and give back to my community on a much larger scale.”

Weekes was especially moved watching her colleagues—many of whom work remotely—connect with each other during lunch afterward. At one point, a coworker surveyed the scene, turned to Weekes and said, “This is why we’re a great company. We have such a strong culture. And this is such a great place to work.’”

Bringing Bingo, Biscuits and Big Smiles
Jeanette Gan and her coworkers often say that one day in the future, they’ll be old enough to frequent one of Singapore’s active aging centers. During Global Volunteer Week, they visited one, this time as volunteers.

The team’s mission? To bring energy and connection to two dozen seniors at the NTUC Health Active Ageing Centre, a community hub for social interaction and support. And for a few hours, they did just that, turning the facility into the hottest ticket in town.

Gan prepared a full slate of interactive games, including Bingo; a Hot Potato-style game called Pass the Puzzle, which posed lighthearted questions for the seniors to answer; and Name that Tune, which proved so popular the team ran out of songs to play.

Winners took home goodies like coffee mixes and packets of biscuits. But the real prize was the camaraderie. “We invited the seniors who aren’t that active for snacks and drinks,” including treats the team made themselves, Gan says. “We made small talk, like asking what they do at home and how often they go to the center.”

The conversations were a valuable chance to interact. “Some people say the center is a lifesaver for them, because they finally found a place that they can go to every day instead of staying home alone,” she says.

Explore how our employees contribute through volunteerism and CSR efforts on our Impact page.