FedEx Cares Week: Volunteerism on a Personal Level

My mother passed away in February 2014 while I was on maternity leave.

My mom was a huge supporter of all foundations involving children in our community. She would attend many galas and events so she could donate for the children. Around the 1 year anniversary of her passing, my father and I wanted to do something special in her honor.

My father was asked by several of his friends to help with a local Charter School that was in dire need of a new kitchen. Burns Science and Technology Charter School in Oak Hill, FL (which has 408 enrolled students this year grades kindergarten through eighth grade) was without a kitchen for the past 4 years. The school had a dated white porcelain stove with four burners to help serve food to their 400 students as they ate in shifts throughout the day.

Teachers from the school were having to drive to a local elementary school to pick up lunch for their students and drive it back.

The food was typically lukewarm and not a healthy fit for growing children. Over the last several months my father and I helped build a brand new kitchen that opened on my mother’s birthday, August 24th. This is more than just a kitchen to us though, because we had the honor of naming it the Judy B. Johnson Kitchen after my mother.

I knew that FedEx Cares Week would be another blessing to the school and children of the local community, and we can’t wait to get back out there!

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This week FedEx team members will spend time volunteering at the school as part of work around the globe during FedEx Cares Week. The volunteers will help students plant a garden and set up composting to help the school achieve its dream of becoming a green school and teaching their children to use their land respectfully.

More than 10,000 FedEx team members will volunteer nearly 55,000 hours this week to celebrate the 11th annual FedEx Cares Week. Volunteers will work in their communities in more than 75 US cities and many countries around the world.