This past week, Samsung employees came together for the 11th annual Samsung Gives to make a difference in local communities. With 1,300 opportunities spread across 28 different events to choose from, participants were able to select events aligned with their passions and interests throughout the week.

Each event aligned with Samsung’s commitment to sustainability, global mission of empowering people, or dedication to diversity and inclusion. With the help of the company’s five Employee Resource Groups, Samsung was able to further develop new and longstanding partnerships with organizations directly helping members of their communities.

Ann Woo, Senior Director of Corporate Citizenship, explained, “At Samsung, the global citizenship mission is ‘Together for Tomorrow, Enabling People.’ We are empowering the future generation to live up to their full potential and drive positive change in the communities where we live and work all across the country.”

From cleaning up communities to compiling care packages for at-risk youth, our employees experienced a rewarding week serving cities across the country. Here is what some participants had to say:

“My activity was building stuffed bears to be given to children of deployed troops. Growing up myself as a military child, it comes very close to my heart. I understand firsthand how hard it is for families who are home while their father or mother is away to serve and protect our nation. I am honored to be part of the activity to show appreciation and gratitude. This doesn’t compare with the sacrifice that these military families are making each and every day, but I am hopeful that these bears that we built will brighten up many military children’s days.” – Jaime Kang, AT&T Product Development

“I have always been interested in STEM and how technology can impact our lives. I saw this session as a great opportunity to learn about the inner workings of charging, while donating, as I saw for every participant a kit would be donated to a school. The session was amazing. It started with a panel around what being a Samsung Solve for Tomorrow mentor means, and hearing from a teacher around our impact. Then, we got the opportunity to build our solar charger which was challenging, but fun.  I had my son, Jace, sit in with me and he got to learn how the inner workings of a charger are built.” – Omar Omari, Retail Operations

“I loved the variety of choices offered this year, and since I’ve always liked the outdoors, I wanted to see how I could help support the bees. I was already aware of how essential they are and how their numbers are falling, so I wanted to be more educated on what I can do to help. Planting the pollinator flowers was fun and rewarding, though knowing that for each person attending, Samsung was sponsoring many bees for a developing community to produce and sell honey and wax was the best feeling.” –Julian Attock, People Team

“I participated in the “Assemble Care Kits for Homeless LGBTQ+ Youth” event, where our local Samsung Equality Alliance ERG teamed up with the Ali Forney Center (AFC) to create and personalize care kits for homeless LGBTQ+ kids. We learned about the history of the center and their mission, while we got to decorate several items in the kit, which will eventually be distributed to kids and teens at their center. As someone who has family and friends that identify as LGBTQ+, I thought it was a great way to use my creativity skills and to give back to a community I care about.” –Anne Juan, Documentation Manager

The week was beneficial for community members, employees, and organizations, as everyone was given the opportunity to learn and create change together. Samsung worked with 16 different organizations to educate and inspire employees and community members. Here is what some of these partners had to say:

“We greatly value our corporate partnerships from companies like Samsung.  These partnerships send a very loud message to the 2,000 LGBTQ+ homeless young people that the Ali Forney Center serves. Our partnerships state loud and clear that these incredible young people are deserving of love and support.  We are so thankful to Samsung for allowing us the opportunity to connect with their team and for their support of helping to keep our young people safe from the harms of homelessness.” – Paul Clark, Director of Corporate and Community Relations at The Ali Forney Center

“We were grateful to have been extended an invitation to participate in Samsung’s Week of Service. The Galaxy of Black Professionals were so engaging and truly embodied what it means to work on a team in a corporate environment to our young adults. In just under 2 hours, they supported, encouraged, and challenged our students to stay motivated, focused, and to find the balance to have fun as young professionals. This opportunity helped us by giving our young adults the opportunity to engage and interact with professionals who look like them and work in spaces that they will be in one day soon. In addition, it gave Year Up an opportunity to share our program and our talented, career ready young adults with Samsung’s team. A huge win for all involved.”– Jasmine Collier, Ed.D., Year Up Senior Director of Institutional Giving

“United Way of Metropolitan Dallas is proud to partner with Samsung to create a positive impact in North Texas. Volunteer programs like this are a powerful way for our corporate partners, as well as individual members of the Live United movement, to create opportunity and access for all North Texans to thrive.” – Cara Dudley, Director of Volunteer Engagement at United Way of Metropolitan Dallas.

Having donated over 145,000 hours nationwide since the Samsung Gives program began in October 2014, the volunteer efforts have created a lasting impact in the lives of many. As the care kits are delivered throughout this holiday season and the bright-eyed students continue to aim high, Samsung is eager to continue driving change in communities and working together for a better tomorrow.