Giving Back to Topeka
By Lisa Loewen

Investing in your community is a great way to give back to those who have helped to support your business. Since you also live and work in the same community, helping to make it a better place to live will benefit you as well as others.

With the holiday season already here, we see examples of people giving back to the community all around us. Volunteers ring the bells for the Salvation Army Red Bucket Campaign. Retail stores have Angel Trees and Toys for Tots Donation Centers. Churches and local groups collect food and clothing for the less fortunate. And local media outlets sign people up to adopt families for Christmas.

Businesses sponsor fund-raising events that employees can participate in, offer programs in which the company matches employee contributions, and give employees time off to do volunteer work. Large Topeka corporations have even set up non-profit foundations to improve the quality of life in Topeka.

Capitol Federal Savings
Capitol Federal Foundation gives millions of dollars each year to fund community projects, charitable programs and the United Way. Since its inception 10 years ago, the foundation has awarded $25 million in grants. So far this year the foundation has given $3.8 million to the local community, with $2.87 million going to fund the expansion of USD 501’s natatorium facilities at Hummer Sports Park.

“We have been fortunate to be in a position to give back,” John Dicus, president of Capitol Federal Savings Bank, said, “but our $3.8 million is adrop in the bucket for what is needed out there.”

Dicus said that while the foundation is recognized for its large gifts, it is often the smaller ones that mean the most.

“$500 for a smaller organization can make all the difference in the world to how that organization can serve the community,” Dicus said.

Capital Federal employees also donate their time and money to help those less fortunate. They participate in fundraisers for the United Way, Project Topeka and the Christmas Bureau and try to come up with fun team- building activities like softball games and other fundraising competitions to accomplish their goals.

“It is fun to work together and know we are making a difference,” Dicus said. “It’s amazing how people work together to make the community a better place.”

Westar Energy
Westar Energy Foundation focuses its giving on children and their education. It supports groups such as TARC, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Boy/Girl Scouts, the YMCA, the Topeka Symphony and the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. The foundation also donates money each year to the United Way. Cynthia McCarvel, president of Westar Energy Foundation, said the foundation has two primary goals: improving academic performance and preparing kids for leadership roles. McCarvel said Westar employees made the choice to concentrate the foundation’s funding on children.

“They [employees] have to take ownership of the funding,” McCarvel said.

Westar Energy not only provides funding for children’s programs, but it also provides classroom programs in local school to educate kids on electrical safety and energy efficiency.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Because health insurance is the primary focus of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, the company looks for projects or programs that are, at their very core, health related. Mary Beth Chambers, manager of corporate communications, said the company is involved with a variety of community projects.

A gift of $100,000 per year for five years from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Foundation got the wheels rolling on a new Kansas Lions Mobile Screening Unit this year. The foundation also provided a $75,000 grant for a Kansas television advertising campaign aimed at raising awareness to the dangers of secondhand smoke.

Chambers said BCBSKS has a Meals on Wheels route every day operated by 30 to 40 employees. The company also maintains a business partnership with Chase Middle School. Excess supplies, equipment and office material go to help teachers and students at the school.

Hill’s Pet Nutrition
In 2008, volunteers from Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. provided more than 17,000 hours of community service, which is equivalent to almost eight full-time volunteers or an estimated $332,000 worth of work hours. Non-profits such as Junior Achievement, Meals on Wheels and Helping Hands Humane Society were among the 70 agencies that received support.

In addition, Hill’s employees help United Way of Greater Topeka by being one of the top campaign contributors. And last year, employees adopted more than 125 families, or 347 individuals, from the United Way Adopt a Family program.

Hill’s serves the local community by helping its animal population as well. Each year the company donates food to area shelters. Last year the company pledged to save one million cats and dogs through shelter adoption.

Small Companies Give Back Too
Giving back to the community isn’t reserved for large companies. Small business owners and employees dig into their pockets and roll up their sleeves as well to make Topeka a better place to live. The 54 employees at Horizon Milling raised more than $7,500 for United Way this year—averaging $130 per person. Joe Reitz, facility manager of Horizon Milling, said the company had a participation rate of 85 percent for the United Way campaign this year.

“I don’t know of anyone else in town that has that kind of employee participation,” Reitz said.

Reitz said both the Topeka plant and the Cargill Corporation will match the funds raised by Horizon Milling employees so the contribution to the United Way will total approximately $22,500. And the giving doesn’t’ stop there. Reitz said that the same week those employees were collecting donations for the United Way; they also held a bowl-a-thon that raised more than $3,000 for Junior Achievement.

“We have a very generous group of employees,” Reitz said. “These are regular working folks trying to make a difference.”

In addition to monetary contributions, Horizon Milling also encourages employees to volunteer in the community. The company will pay each employee for eight volunteer hours per year.

The United Way
Charitable organizations such as the United Way of Greater Topeka make it easy for businesses of any size to give back to the community. United Way combines the donations of thousands of people to fund more than 70 programs serving the Topeka community.

"Live United" is a new program focused on giving, advocating, and volunteering. Jamie Hornbaker, director of communications at UWGT, said the program emphasizes the idea that helping the community means more than just donating money. People need to give their time and expertise as well.

“We know it takes more than dollars to initiate real community change,” Hornbaker said. “It takes an entire community coming together to live united through giving, advocating and volunteering.”

No Excuses
Regardless of the size of your company, you can make a difference in Topeka. Whether you want to open your pocket book and make a monetary donation, roll up your sleeves and volunteer, or share your skills and expertise with others, you can give back to the community and the people who help make your business a success.