Jan 24, 2022
The Power of Community
By Maria Brown-Spence
In 2020, the COVID-19 virus took the world by storm forcing not only people, but workplaces to change their understanding of the world and how we do business.
As of March 2020, the foundation of community and employee engagement rumbled underneath us and forced us to think outside of the box. We knew that more than ever we would need to support community organizations and the people who serve them. We knew that more than ever we would need to support our tech companies and the employees that work in them.
Like many we pivoted and were able to create virtual opportunities that highlight both team building and community impact. We hosted monthly virtual lunches and learns, facilitated mental health training, raised thousands of dollars to feed our healthcare workers, and curated conversations around buzzing topics.
During our Mental Health First Aid certifications hosted by Hearts2Heal and Integral Care, our member companies and their 30+ colleagues were challenged to discuss their views and experiences when it came to mental health. We saw during those conversations member companies liaisons and their fellow colleagues, become vulnerable, open and honest, and even echo sentiments shared with the group. This certification allowed for our members to learn the signs and symptoms of someone experiencing a mental health and/or substance use challenge.
Another example of creating intentional virtual spaces took place during our monthly lunch and learns. During these recurring meetings, our member company liaisons were able to take a look inside the workplaces of other tech companies and startups. This allowed for our members to identify resources that could contribute to team success or share ways to move forward after devastation took place. Many of our member company liaisons even connected offline with others to share ways they were balancing productivity and people. As a result of these meetings we were able to support our member companies with virtual team building and community engagement opportunities, such as virtual resume review, harvest days at local community gardens, and diaper bank warehouse support; just to name a few.
As we look to 2022 and another year with continued modifications due to COVID-19 we will continue to serve as an innovative source that creates opportunities to get involved and give back to the community. Just as we did with our micro-consulting initiative where subject matter experts were paired with an underrepresented small business or nonprofit organization to provide invaluable time for mentorship and advice.
At the Entrepreneurs Foundation one of our pillars and points of pride is the commitment that we have made to create engaging and innovative programming for the tech ecosystem in Central Texas. For over 20 years we have positively impacted millions of lives and raised millions of dollars to support the most pressing social issues in our community.
As we look to the future, we know that the ways we connect have forever changed, but our commitment to community remains.
