The “Let’s Give Arizona a Hand Up Award” will be presented at the upcoming Champions of Change Awards through a partnership between AZ Big Media and Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona. Finalists for the award were determined based on how their company’s corporate giving and community volunteer activities are building a brighter future for Arizona nonprofits and making a direct and quantifiable impact on our communities. The Champions of Change Awards will be held Thursday, May 16, 2024. Each day leading up to the event, we will preview one finalist for the Let’s Give Arizona a Hand Up Award. Today, learn about LAVIDGE.
Sponsors of the Champions of Change Awards include BOK Financial (impact sponsor), Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona (spotlight sponsor), Stearns Bank (step-and-repeat sponsor), Maricopa Corporate College at Maricopa Community Colleges (photo booth sponsor), Lerner & Rowe Gives Back (name tag sponsor), REDW Advisors and CPAs (floral sponsor) and Center for the Future of Arizona (dessert sponsor).
To learn more about the Champions of Change Awards, click here.
LAVIDGE
When LAVIDGE Executive VP and Chief Financial Officer Sandra Torre launched IMPACT in 2019, she codified the agency’s decades-long culture of giving back to the community by organizing an employee volunteer program.
IMPACT logged 267 volunteer hours valued at about $40,000 in agency services its first year. In 2020, despite pandemic restrictions and other obstacles, IMPACT kept pace with 42 volunteers performing a combined total of 280 hours benefiting more than 13 causes—along with roughly $167,000 in charitable contributions, in-kind donations, and sponsorships.
Since then, Torre and the agency are proud to have accepted numerous accolades including being named one of four 2023 Az Business Angels by AZ Big Media’s Arizona Business Magazine.
“IMPACT – Giving and Sharing with Passion,” was conceived as more than just a volunteer initiative,” Torre explained. “It was designed as a conduit through which our employees could channel their collective energy and compassion into initiatives that make a transformative difference in the lives of our community’s most vulnerable members.”
IMPACT embodies LAVIDGE’s commitment to fostering positive change, both for people and animals. The EVP’s core focus lies in providing resources to enhance the well-being of those who need it most, alongside promoting the health and welfare of our four-legged companions. Torre ensures that IMPACT achieves this by planning and implementing a dynamic blend of volunteer opportunities, charitable contributions, and strategic partnerships that harness the power of teamwork to create lasting, positive change.
“What sets IMPACT apart is its dedication to ensuring that our employees’ engagement is not merely a superficial endeavor but a deeply meaningful and purposeful one,” Torre said. “We believe that true community service goes beyond writing checks; it involves hands-on involvement, genuine connection, and a heartfelt commitment to the causes we support. IMPACT reflects our unwavering dedication to these principles, as we strive to improve the lives of others while strengthening the bonds within our own LAVIDGE family.”
Since inception, LAVIDGE IMPACT had donated more than 2,000 service hours, participated in more than 70 events, and partnered with 30 local-non-profit organizations as of late last year.
In 2023 alone, IMPACT donated more than 335 volunteer hours and participated in 18 events with 16 organizations.
We are proud of the difference we are making together as a LAVIDGE family. It’s a source of inspiration to witness our employees coming together with compassion and determination to create a more compassionate community, Torre noted.
IMPACT is a top priority for Torre who has provided opportunities for LAVIDGE employees to serve United Way Valley of the Sun, Arizona Humane Society, Better Piggies Rescue, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Hunkapi Farms, Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation, Hope 4 Kids International, and dozens of other community organizations and nonprofits.
“As we look ahead, we are excited about the potential for even greater achievements and the opportunity to strengthen our ties with the community,” Torre said. “We remain resolute in our dedication to serving those in need, one gesture of kindness and one selfless act at a time.”
