In light of the ongoing effort toward racial equity and justice in America, Mead & Hunt decided to shift gears. Traditionally, we have donated to several worthy charities at the end of the year around the holiday season. This year, we felt it impossible to ignore the immediate need to stand up against racial disparities.
We committed our full annual donation amount to organizations that help build up underprivileged communities by creating opportunities for growth and success. These organizations were carefully chosen by our Mead & Hunt Cares group, which focuses on ways the company and our employees can give back to our communities, and the Employee Resource Group (ERG), an internal group committed to increasing diversity, inclusion, and belonging in our firm. The charities we donated to were:
National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering
NACME provides scholarships to underrepresented minorities pursuing degrees at engineering schools. Their goal is to enrich society by creating an engineering workforce that looks like America—because community builders should reflect the communities they serve.
Equal Justice Initiative
EJI works with communities that have been marginalized by poverty and discouraged by unequal treatment. They are a nonprofit organization committed to protecting basic human rights in the United States, providing legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons.
National Society of Black Engineers
NSBE is one of the largest student-governed organizations in the US. The organization supports and promotes the aspirations of collegiate and pre-collegiate students and technical professionals in engineering and technology. Specifically, their mission is to increase the number of Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
BBBS works to build meaningful relationships that have a lasting positive impact on the lives of young people across the country. They match youth in need with a volunteer Big Brother or Big Sister. These relationships help youth to navigate challenges they face and reach their full potential.
We chose these organizations based on a shared sense of purpose and values, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with them in the future. Our firm was founded on a set of strong values: we are all empowered—and therefore share a responsibility—to take care of people, do the right thing, and do what makes sense. Now, we must navigate how to best stay true to these values. There is a long way still to go; our work is by no means complete. But during these times, we can stay on course by moving forward one step at a time.
