The Importance of Giving Back

Over the years I’ve been fortunate to learn business lessons from great speakers, books, TED talks, and so much more.

But I can’t forget the people that started it all—my Mom and Dad.

Growing up, Mom was always the one volunteering for class trips, spending nights at the PTA, volunteering at the American Cancer Society, and more. And Dad spent his career in public service—working tirelessly for the County government and spending his retirement on activities like raising money for 9/11 widows.

They taught me that you should always give back when you can. That’s why one of our corporate values at Virtual is generosity.

We try to show it many ways. Volunteering at places like Habitat for Humanity, our Elf Program, and through our partnership with the Jimmy Fund.

The Jimmy Fund solely supports Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, raising funds for adult and pediatric cancer care and research to improve the chances of survival for cancer patients around the world. It’s just a great organization—and so many of us, myself included, have personal ties to those fighting—or having lost the fight—to cancer.

This year we are a sponsor of the Jimmy Fund’s Fenway Fantasy Day. This is a great event that lets people bat and field at Fenway Park, home of the World Series Champs. We’ve been involved with the event for years—-thanks to Bob Russo, a former client and now lifelong friend whose son Rob truly owes his life to the folks at Dana Farber. It’s a fantastic event—and while I’ve never hit one over the wall, every swing is helping Kick Cancer’s Ass. And we sure like that.

Mom and Dad were right. Generosity is important for all of us—individuals and companies alike. If you want to support our efforts with the Jimmy Fund, go to our team page here. But more importantly, I hope you can find a way to bring this value into your organization.