Perficient Atlanta: Making a Community Impact in 2024

Perficient’s Giving ERG was established in 2021, as a way for employees to bond over philanthropy and inspire generosity. Shortly after, in September 2022, a group of liaisons was formed in Atlanta so we could start to give back to our local community in person. Since then, the Atlanta liaisons have grown to a team of 8, planning frequent events from volunteering at animal shelters, cooking meals for the unhoused, hosting food, toy and clothing donation drives, and everything in between! So far, we’ve had over 10 events with 7 different organizations local to Atlanta and given back over 50 hours of community service. Continue reading below for a summary of what we’ve done in 2024 thus far!

February Family Dinner with Extra Special People

In February 2024, Perficient’s Atlanta Giving ERG hosted a dinner for ESP (Extra Special People), an organization we’ve worked with in the past that serves people with disabilities and their families. We catered Publix sandwiches, chicken tenders, fruit and veggie platters, and even baked some homemade cookies to share with ESP. The Perficient team came early to help set up the serving station and distributed the Valentine’s Day craft making supplies amongst the tables.  

“Extra Special People is truly a special organization. For the second time in less than a year, Perficient volunteers contributed to bringing families together to enjoy a catered dinner, play games, and catch up on the latest in their lives. I was reminded of what this community is all about, supporting family members with disabilities to an evening of fellowship and fun. “- Lisa McMichael  

After serving dinner to everyone, we dispersed to help craft valentines for friends and family. Here’s what AJ Steinhauser had to say about the night: “Volunteering at the ESP dinner was a heartwarming experience. Being able to support families with children facing disabilities was incredibly fulfilling. Here’s to hoping Perficient continues to find ample opportunities to make a meaningful difference in our community.”  

The leadership from ESP was thrilled to see us back, and incredibly grateful that we offered to serve everyone dinner and spend time with their organization for the night.  

“I just wanted to THANK you for coming out to our February Family Dinner. We had such a fun evening, and the families were very vocal about how much they loved interacting with all the volunteers there. We appreciate YOU!” – Taylor Shannon (Atlanta Program Coordinator at ESP) 

 

 

Shoutout to our ATL colleagues who volunteered: Ntasha Sharma, Bekah Williamson, Grayson Harden, Lisa McMichael, Eric Courtney, AJ Steinhauser, Mike Baker.

Learn more about how to get involved with ESP here!

Restoring One’s Hope – Feed the Hungry 

On March 9th 2024, Atlanta colleagues volunteered with Restoring One’s Hope Atlanta for their Feed the Hungry program to prep and package full meals and hygiene kits for the unhoused population in Atlanta.

We worked in several assembly lines: one to add shampoo, conditioner, body soap, hand sanitizer, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a clean pair of socks into a hygiene kit, another line to make sandwiches and bagels and put them into plastic bags with chips and granola bars, and the last line to put these two kits together in a bag with a large water bottle. We assembled over 50 care packages that were distributed to the unhoused around Atlanta the very next day. 

                                                                            

Since we finished putting together the care packages so quickly, we were put to work on a different task to organize all the donated clothing by gender, size and type of clothing item to make it easier for those in need to come in and find what they are looking for. While we were putting together the care packages and organizing clothing, we even noticed a few unhoused people come in and grab shoes and clothes they needed. This was great to see the direct, positive impact of the work we were putting in!  

“We do not need miracle to transform our society. We have all the energy we need inside ourselves already. Help your local community and you can make a difference. Super happy we were involved with Restoring One’s Hope volunteer event here in Atlanta!” – Victor Murra   

 

Shoutout to our ATL colleagues who volunteered: Ben Phillips, Bekah Williamson, Kimberlie Rose, Victor Murra, Grayson Harden, Ntasha Sharma, Sriharshavardhan Tokala, Nabeel Rahiman, plus some friends and family of our colleagues that came to help out.

Learn more about the organization here and how to get involved with their volunteer opportunities!

Conserving the Forest with Trees Atlanta 

In honor of Earth Day this year, Perficient Atlanta colleagues gave back to the environment by volunteering with Trees ATL, and organization that protects and improves Atlanta’s urban forest by planting, conserving, and educating. 

On April 27th 2024, the team from Perficient went out to Memorial Park in Buckhead for our first engagement with Trees ATL. We started off by hand pulling and cutting smaller vines such as English ivy, Chinese privet, and Kudzu that were holding back native species from growing. We then worked our way up to cutting down bigger trees that stole sunlight from smaller plants.

This was our first event with Trees ATL and it ended up being incredibly fun and rewarding! Work like this may seem difficult, but it is a lot easier when you’re surrounded by good company!  

See what Bekah Williamson had to say about the day:  

“Our volunteer event with Trees Atlanta was a great bonding experience for our team and a perfect way to give back to our planet for Earth Day. We learned a lot about invasive plants in the Atlanta forests and the negative impact they can have on the native species. It was a lot of hard work, but we were able to clear a ton of invasive weeds & trees, improving ATL’s Memorial Park for all to enjoy!” 

Shoutout to our ATL colleagues who volunteered: Harrison Blair, Eric Courtney, Bekah Williamson.

Learn more about the organization and how to get involved here!

Continuing to Make a Community Impact

From spreading joy at ESP’s Family Dinner, to providing essential support through Restoring One’s Hope Feed the Hungry program, each initiative has left a lasting impact on us as well as the community. Perficient’s Giving ERG exemplifies why Perficient is not just a workplace, but a community where employees thrive. By fostering a culture of service and compassion, this group embodies Perficient’s core values and creates a sense of purpose and fulfillment beyond day-to-day responsibilities.  As we look to the future, we aspire to maintain the relations we’ve made so far, and continue to forge new, meaningful connections with local organizations as we deepen our collective impact on our local community.  

“One of my favorite things about working at Perficient after 3 years is the Giving ERG events. These events are always fun and extremely rewarding to participate in. While I can’t always attend every local ERG event, I am incredibly grateful to work for a company that puts so much effort into helping others.” – Kimberlie Rose 

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