Corporate Friend Award Recipient: Flexera

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At the heart of Flexera’s culture is helping our employees thrive and succeed. It’s really how we roll, and is built on six core values – not the least of which is Giving Back. We’re so fortunate that our employees want to participate in activities that increase global thinking and appreciate cultural differences. We also love that they Give Back to the communities where we do business, and the communities that we serve.

In order to help them with that, Flexera gives every employee one day off every year for volunteer work.
 
For instance, we’re very proud that our Global Sales team assembled 100 bags during Kickoff for Care for Friends.  We’ve also had teams help at Habitat for Humanity and at Food Banks, just to name a few. Employees have
also:
 

• Donated macaroni and cheese to the Elk Grove Village food pantry, serving school-aged children in the area

• Participated in a food drive for the Greater Chicago Food Depository

• Teamed with the Itasca Fire Department to donate to the Toys for Tots holiday toy drive

 
Whether it be collecting food for those in need or toys for children, we compete to see which group can contribute the most and Give Back – because it’s simply the right thing to do.

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Flexera is reimagining the way software is bought, sold, managed and secured.  We make the business of buying and selling software more transparent, secure, and effective.

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Good Neighbor Award Recipient: Ira Coleman

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Through a career with TransNational Payments, Ira had the opportunity to go on a serving trip to Nicaragua in 2010 to help support an organization called ORPHANetwork.  This organization serves thousands of at risk and neglected children in some of the poorest areas of the country.  It was during this visit that he was challenged to find ways to serve not only this organization but also to find ways to support those in need in his local community.  Since that time he has continued to support ORPHANetwork by going on multiple serving trips.  This experience fueled his desire to serve even more and he founded Button and Zipper in 2013, an Initiative that collects coats and delivers them to at risk youth and the homeless in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. Most recently they have expanded their efforts to the Denver community.  Partnering with Coat Drive Champions, business organizations, and schools, they have collected over 13,000 coats to date for needy individuals during the cold winter months.

 

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Volunteer of the Year: Mark Bean

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I feel that Care For Friends ministry to Lincoln Park’s Homeless shows each of us

how we can serve our guests.  Working in the Kitchen to provide a wholesome meal to our guests aligns with my true and active understanding of the Gospel--.if they are hungry give them food to eat and if they are thirsty give them something to drink !

 

I have been involved with this wonderful Food For Friends ministry for over thirty years both as a leader and chef.  Each and every time I work in the kitchen I feel grateful for how this program truly serves our guests.  Not only do we serve great food, we also provide a warm and caring social environment for people who normally do not have the simple opportunity for true companionship.  We provide a place for our guests to come and socialize – making life a little better for each and everyone who participates. 

 

Recently one of our regular guests pulled me aside.  I noted that he was holding something tightly wrapped up in his hand.  He placed the article he was holding in my hand and said:  “Mark I know you can put this to good use.  Thanks for helping me out when I needed it most and now I want to give something back. “  He smiled and just walked away.  I immediately opened it up – two $100 bills tightly folded.

This simple story happens every time someone says Thanks for being here for US.