How Our Pledge 1% Journey Began
In December 2020, we officially announced being a proud member of Pledge 1%, a global movement that inspires, educates, and empowers every entrepreneur, company, and employee to be a force for good. Over 10,000 members in 100 countries have used Pledge 1%’s flexible framework to ignite half a billion dollars in new philanthropy.
Pledge 1% invites all entrepreneurs and their companies to pledge any combination of product, equity, profit, or time to support integrating philanthropy into their business.
Since making our Pledge 1% commitment, our employees have embraced it wholeheartedly and we really wanted to start right away. However, because of the pandemic restrictions, we had to wait a few months to volunteer.
Time went on and we were finally able to put our vision into action. There are many ways to help and volunteer but since spring just started in Toronto, we wanted to focus on planting and gardening. After a long search, we finally found Seven Oaks.
Who Is Seven Oaks?
Seven Oaks is one of the 10 City-operated long-term care homes and provides individualized care to each of its 249 residents within a safe and friendly environment. They are committed to improving quality of life and support for healthy aging guided by the CARE values – Compassion | Accountability | Respect | Excellence.
Built in 1988, the name Seven Oaks was originally the name given to the farm located at Military Trail and Ellesmere Road. Over time, the Scarborough area between Ellesmere and Highway 401 became known as Seven Oaks.
Seven Oaks has a dedicated team of volunteers but because of COVID-19 restrictions, many of them were not able to be physically present to help. We saw then a great opportunity to contribute and work on their gardens.
App Solve In Action
*Video edited by Timothy Harry. See his work on YouTube. You can also find him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
In our day-to-day work, we usually focus on intangible things. Being able this time to help in person and seeing residents enjoying a renovated courtyard was rewarding.
It’s common knowledge that volunteering promotes well-being by making people feel part of a community. This is exactly what we experienced ourselves. We were also looking forward to meeting as a team. Given the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, we had not had the chance to do it.
David and Skot preparing the soil in the front garden
Gloria starting to plant Impatiens
Jan from Seven Oaks and Skot
We really enjoyed giving our time and energy working together as a team, especially if that involved connecting with our community to make it a better place. Helping build a beautiful patio for seniors and visitors to go out and enjoy spring makes a big difference in a long-term care home.
Saju and Gloria prepare the soil for planting in the backyard garden
Skot and Kyle planting
Aly, Natalia and Suzan
The final result in the front garden
The App Solve Team
We want to thank Carly Wolf, Coordinator of Volunteer Services from Seven Oaks, for this great opportunity to help our community of seniors. It was such an enriching experience and the perfect place to start our volunteering journey through Pledge 1%. We are looking forward to many more!
