Creating a Culture of Giving
By Heidi Clark, CHO (Chief Humanity Officer)
Heidi Clark
As I sit down to write this, I am laughing, out loud in fact because my current “gift” that I’m working on is running an online auction for my children’s school and I’m (once again) stumped. Let me begin by saying that even though I recruited for several years in High Tech this does not make me tech savvy and I am realizing quite quickly that there are many others that could do this job much quicker and yet, I plod along, happy to be contributing to this beautiful school. That’s the point I guess, to pass this on to my children to show them that Mom is willing to try new things and is there to help.
Giving is something that I grew up surrounded by and it wasn’t always a grand gesture, it was more the home grown variety of helping people in small, neighborly ways. I grew up with stories of my Grandparents (who luckily both maintained jobs during the 30’s) taking neighbors in during the depression and offering them dinner and company on nights when there was no food in their own home. My father sat on our Hospital Board, the School Board, was involved in Rotary, Kiwanis and our Chamber of Commerce. My mother cooked and crafted for my school events. Underneath all that we did and all that we had was always the knowledge that we would pass the abundance on.
When we started Redfish Technology, I was thrilled to think of the impact we could make in the community. As CHO, I design and implement the corporate culture and philanthropic efforts at Redfish, engaging our company and staff in support of local community events and non-profits. We have given to many local causes through the years and it is a source of pride for me that we are able to do so and yet we are always reaching to do more. My passion is to be of service, whether it’s helping a neighbor who’s ill or assisting women in Africa start a business. I recognize, being of service in whatever way is a gift not only to others but to yourself as well. I am just happy to have learned this lesson sooner than later.
But our company is not just engaged in outside philanthropic activities, we view our own work as a way to ‘give’ as a part our everyday operations. Technology raises the quality of life of people throughout the world, and at Redfish we cut our teeth on High Tech and remain absolutely dedicated to this sector. But we have also been drawn to work in green technology in earnest for some time now. Our passion for a Clean & Green planet compelled us to specialize in the field starting in the 90’s. We appreciate the gift of playing a role in promoting companies, technologies and practices that are good for people and good for the planet. Our renewables focus includes Wind, Geothermal, Solar, and Biofuels, as well as Electric & Hybrid Vehicles.
As I get ready to log back on to my auction site I envision throwing seeds into the wind and I see them flowering into much more than I imagined they could be. I am grateful that Redfish can help me grow these seeds and I will continue to spread them with anticipation.
To see a list of the various philanthropic avenues in which we invest when we are not recruiting in the high tech and green sectors, see our website and learn more about some great organizations.
Click here to view Heidi’s profile.