“Volunteer Day” Between Thomson Reuters and Local Community in Hoboken a Success

On Thursday, April 21, Thomson Reuters partnered with three local non-profits in the Hoboken community for a “Volunteer Day” to celebrate the importance and enjoyment of community involvement. The successful events included readings of children’s books at the Hoboken Fire Department Museum, with a number of students from the All Saints Episcopal Day School in attendance, and a dinner prepared by Thomson Reuters employees at the Hoboken Shelter that evening.

Readings at the Fire Museum:  Kindergarten and First Grade students from All Saints were welcomed by a member of the Hoboken Historical Museum and challenged to a scavenger hunt titled, “All About Firefighters.”  After the answers were read, two Thomson Reuters employees (Bruce Safford, Senior Director, Thomson Reuters Tax and Accounting and Steve Brylski, Project Editor, Thomson Reuters Tax and Accounting) entertained the children with a children’s story each.  The afternoon reading books included: Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Henry and Even Firefighters Hug Their Moms.

At the close of the event, former Hoboken deputy fire chief and safety director, Bill Bergin, who was on-hand to answer Fire Museum related questions, lead the children in the Pledge of Allegiance. He also noted that firefighting is a job that both boys and girls can pursue, noting that two women were promoted to the rank of captain in the Hoboken Fire Department (May 2011).

Dinner at the Hoboken Shelter:  In the evening, nine volunteers from Thomson Reuters, including Kristin Colella, Editor, Thomson Reuters Tax and Accounting, who was instrumental in organizing the event, prepared and served dinner for about 100 people at the Hoboken Homeless Shelter. All groceries were purchased by Thomson Reuters from the ShopRite (900 Madison Street) in Hoboken, and ShopRite also generously donated a large sheet cake and a $100 gift card. The menu for the evening consisted of baked ziti, homemade meatballs, boiled green beans and carrots, bread, fruit punch and cake. The dinner was a great success, with many people enjoying seconds and even thirds of the meal.

Thomson Reuters looks forward to growing its involvement with the local community. Entities interested in providing aid to these non-profit organizations can link to their websites for more information.