I often joke when I give employees odd assignments that fall under their job description as “other duties as assigned.” However, it’s not every day they involve the U.S. military.
I have the pleasure of coordinating some of the philanthropic money COUNTRY graciously allocates to community organizations. Recently we pursued an incredibly worthwhile request. An employee asked if COUNTRY could provide funding to purchase laptops, which would be donated to families of soldiers on active duty overseas. This would allow them to connect with their loved ones on a very immediate level.
Various departments quickly jumped on board to make this happen. Eventually, the project took on a life of its own, and we all did our parts. Within a month, the laptops were purchased, and COUNTRY was able to provide 20 laptops to the Family Readiness Group within the 13th Psychological Operations Battalion in Arden Hills, Minnesota. These laptops were recently distributed to overseas soldiers’ families.
Check out this photo of two daughters talking to their dad on a COUNTRY-donated laptop.
These young ladies were able to see and talk to their dad stationed half a world away.
As a company, it’s wonderful what we could do for these service men and women who give so much to support and defend our country’s safety. Afterwards, I got a very heartwarming note from the project’s Army coordinator, who citied the impact these laptops will have on the families while their loved ones are deployed.
I’m proud of COUNTRY for supporting our soldiers and their families, and I’m glad I could, in some small way, help to facilitate this. So, sometimes when those “other duties as assigned” come your way, they may turn out to be pretty positive experiences.
(Dan Johnson is the Central Region Vice President of Operations in Arden Hills, MN)
Wow! What a great idea and a great cause. Love the picture of the girls with their dad.
Thank you again country finance for your generous donation of laptop computers. Love the article.