RS&H Elevates Two Austin Charities at Officers Meeting

RS&H CEO Dave Sweeney introduced the mission, purpose and procedures of the new RS&H Elevate Fund to RS&H associates at the firm’s semi-annual Town Hall meeting in June. A few weeks later at RS&H’s annual Officers Meeting in Austin, Texas, it was time to see the difference Elevate can make.

The Elevate Fund supports RS&H associates in aiding the communities we work and live in by encouraging and funding volunteer and charitable activities that align with our values. RS&H provides grants to nonprofit organizations that focus on helping people in need, supporting children and youth programs, and enhancing education.

“This is the RS&H associates’ idea, their fund,” Sweeney said. “We want the funding to go to charities that are important to each office.”

In Austin, RS&H supports the Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas and the Ronald McDonald House of Central Texas. And what better way to donate than to have a toy drive? With all of the RS&H officers – nearly 100 in all – in town, everyone was able to participate in the donation.

The Elevate team and RS&H Austin Office Administrative Assistant Esmeralda Urbano collected several tables full of toys – enough stuffed animals, puzzles and toys to fill 13 Radio Flyer wagons. To put toys in their wagon, officers had to work together through a series of teambuilding tasks – the first being to assemble the wagons.

From there, groups of officers earned toys for their wagons by completing a whirlwind of team-building exercises, including Guess Who, balancing an egg without dropping it, and trying to create a perfect square with four blindfolded officers and another barking out instructions.

“It was really fun watching our leaders trying to play all these games, trying to make that perfect square,” Urbano said. “It was a nice experience, and I think everyone had a great time with it.”

A great time led to a great give, as Urbano delivered the toys (and wagons) to Dell Children’s Medical Center and the Ronald McDonald House in Austin.

“This one was really fun to watch because it was specific to Austin, and every Elevate give will be tailored to the communities where we live and work,” Sweeney said. “It’s really neat to see us making a meaningful impact to people in the communities we have connections with.”