Construction Inclusion Week: CMiC’s Contributions to Social Change through Extensive Fundraising and Community Volunteerism
At CMiC, we continue to uphold our strong commitment to philanthropic and corporate social responsibility-focused efforts as well as to continually enhancing employee support and satisfaction.
In 2019, we established our key fundraising and CSR committees, Social Purpose and Ready, Set, Build!, and have spearheaded various initiatives since then. Despite the challenges created by the pandemic in 2020, we have managed to increase fundraising dollars on top of driving committee and employee engagement year over year, reinforcing early stage momentum.
We have also been laser-focused in selecting charities and partners that are aligned with our business ecosystem (i.e., construction software). These include:
ACE Mentor Program of America: This organization was formed to inspire and assist high school students in pursuing careers in architecture, engineering, and construction through mentoring and academic support.
Raising the Roof: This group’s primary focus is to deliver strategic development and long-term solutions to address homelessness. How? By developing key partnerships with various organizations, investing in local communities and providing education and awareness.
Building Up: This organization is a non-profit, “social construction contractor,” committed to helping disadvantaged adults facing barriers to employment to develop skills across many construction trades that open doors and help to left them out of poverty.
An Overview of Our Fundraising, Volunteer-Focused and Support Efforts Since 2019
Fundraising Accomplishments
$45,790 collected through various fundraising activities
166 electronic devices and toys donated to Raising the Roof (valued at $22,400)
Volunteerism
Our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiative, called Ready, Set, Build!
Our Ready, Set, Build! CSR program is a testament to our commitment to implementing responsible and philanthropic business practices and activities. Designed to help disadvantaged individuals, this initiative provides them with trades-focused training in construction.
The team is comprised of 26 employee volunteers from throughout the CMiC organization.
Press Release: CMiC Launches Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative— ‘Ready, Set, Build!’
Tutoring and Career Building Activity Training with Building Up
CMiC volunteers participate in a tutoring program through which they provide one-on-one training to members of Building Up. Key skills building areas include:
Core subjects (e.g., Math, English)
Career building activities (e.g., resume writing and interview preparation)
These programs run on an 8-12-week cycle, with most tutors conducting weekly sessions.
To date, 5 volunteers have participated, along with 5 students, who are currently pursuing:
GEDs (2 students)
Advanced Mathematics (1 student)
Test preparation (2 students)
Build Days as Part of the Raising the Roof Initiative
Ten CMiC volunteers recently participated in the 2021 Raising the Roof’s Reside program. On August 20, these volunteers spent the day renovating a vacant, single-family home in downtown Toronto to support a refugee family who is new to Canada.
Charitable Donations and Fundraising
The CMiC-Allen Berg Memorial Scholarship in Partnership with the ACE Mentor Program of America:
In 2018, we announced our partnership with the ACE Mentor Program of America, which provides financial assistance to students pursuing careers in architecture, construction and engineering.
Our pledge of $10 million, in memory of our late founder,
Allen S. Berg, is a testament to our commitment to driving innovation in the construction industry through education and mentorship.
The initial $3 million grant was used to establish the CMiC-Allen Berg Memorial Scholarship Awards, which are administered through the ACE Mentor Program of America. We are dedicated to inspiring and supporting up-and-comers in these fields, but also to creating opportunities for underprivileged students to realize their academic and professional aspirations.
The grant includes a donation of $400,000 each year for an initial period of 6 years:
2021: $400,000 was donated to 37 students
2020: $400,000 was donated to 23 students
2019: $400,000 was donated to 25 students
A Promising Future
While we are proud of our accomplishments to date, we are committed to ramping up our efforts and partaking in many more community-focused initiatives going forward—this is just the beginning for CMiC.