- Stories

Giving Dollars to Those Who ‘Do’

The gift of time is often the best gift of all. In Louisiana, Dow employees generously give their time to dozens of nonprofit organizations every year. They offer their skills and talent to organizations focused on health and wellness issues, environmental preservation and awareness, youth or elder care, public services and other meaningful causes.

Dollars for Doers is a Dow program that recognizes and honors employees’ commitment to local communities by giving $500 donations to organizations where employees volunteer at least 20 hours a year. Here are just a few examples of the impact Dow employees are making in their hometown communities:

Spreading Cheer in Norco

Shannon Ferguson, a frequent volunteer at the Norco Area Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary, is brightening the days of seniors at the Norco Adult Day Care. With the help of a grant from Dow’s i:Give Dollars for Doers program, Ferguson and other volunteers provide the elderly residents with baskets that include everyday necessities or small gifts during the holiday seasons. Helping coordinate and deliver these gifts is just one way Shannon is helping spread cheer through the community.

Helping Youth Transition to Adulthood

Brian St. George has a heart for teenagers in need. As a long-time volunteer for CASA, the nonprofit child advocacy organization, he knows that many children who age out of the system without intervention likely face dire futures. For the last three years St. George has helped two teenagers in foster care, helping them access the resources needed to become productive young adults. Most of all, St. George is their cheerleader, their encourager, their advocate. This year, Dow awarded St. George and Casa a $500 i:Give Dollars for Doers grant to honor St. George’s commitment to Louisiana’s youth.

Swimming With Confidence

Most kids take swimming for granted. Not David Koscielniak’s son. Kyle Kosielniak, who has Down’s Syndrome, learned to swim in 2010 at the age of 19 through a program called JoJo’s Hope. JoJo’s is a swimming program for special-needs and disadvantaged children in Mandeville, Louisiana. David, a Dow employee, volunteers often at JoJo’s because he has seen first-hand the impact independent swimming can have on a child or young adult’s self-confidence. A grant from Dow’s Dollars for Doers program will help JoJo’s pay for insurance costs associated with the program.

Reading and Riding

For a third grader, a new bike is an exciting thing! At Sarah T. Reed and George Washington Carver Elementary Schools, four well-read third graders each received shiny new bikes thanks to the efforts of Dow employee Mary Champagne and a grant from Dow’s i:Give Dollars for Doers. The grant helped fund the “Bicycles for Books Reading Program,” which recognizes the who read the most third grade-level or higher books during the 2009-2010 school year.

Walking for a Cure

When Dow employee Jeremy Vernetti was 12-years-old, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and endured a mastectomy and multiple rounds of chemotherapy. Today, Vernetti volunteers his time to help support finding a cure for breast cancer as co-chair of the Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure in Baton Rouge, an important event Dow supported through an i:Give Dollars for Doers grant. Vernetti gives generously of his time to Susan G. Komen because he believes no woman or her family – spouse, parents or children – should have to suffer because of breast cancer.