Timberland Remembers and Serves at Its 18th Annual 9/11 Service Event in New York
Over 50 Timberland employees and wholesale partner volunteers recently convened in New York for the brand’s 18th annual 9/11 service event. Volunteers from Timberland, Kicks USA, Macy’s, Zappos and more made physical improvements to the buildings and grounds of Greyston Foundation’s Center for Open Hiring in Yonkers, NY.
Timberland’s 9/11 annual service project commemorates the fateful events of September 11, 2001 -- which included a team of volunteers gathered at the Clara Barton School in the Bronx for a Timberland service day. On that day, as news of the attack on the World Trade Centers reached the service site, the volunteers had a decision to make: they could either attempt to leave the city, or choose to stay and serve. They chose the latter and every year since, volunteers from Timberland, the brand’s wholesale partners, and the community have convened again to serve.
The Center for Open Hiring at Greyston is a collaborative learning space (physical and virtual) that evaluates, improves, and defines Open Hiring™ best practices. The Center facilitates the adoption of Open Hiring, defined as hiring anyone willing to work – no questions asked. As a practice, Open Hiring helps create opportunities for people who otherwise face barriers to employment, which may include those living in poverty or who have served time in prison.
At the Center, the volunteers completed a number of projects. In teams they:
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created two dressing rooms and a clothing closet to outfit Center clients with professional outfits to wear to interviews
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painted and installed new floors in the newly renovated Workplace Development rooms
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painted and cleaned a multipurpose room to accommodate meetings and other activities
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planted 12 trees, removed invasive species, and beautified the Center’s exterior grounds
As Amy Crocker, Sr. Account Executive, Global Steward for Timberland’s Sales Team, and part of the planning team for the event said, “It was an amazing and purposeful day. Each time we gather to serve on 9/11 we build community and give back. Timberland and the Center for Open Hiring have a shared passion for supporting and strengthening communities. We are thrilled we had the opportunity to contribute to this important mission today.”
“After hearing about our 9/11 events, I was thrilled to be a volunteer this year,” said Jill Holt, community service specialist for Timberland. “There is a unique sense of history, hope, and deep-seeded purpose that comes from serving alongside others who chose to stay and to serve at the original Timberland service event on 9/11/2001. I’m proud to follow in the footsteps of those who served before and to leave, just as they did, a positive footprint in the community.”
Timberland’s Path of Service™ program offers full-time employees up to 40 paid hours a year to volunteer in their communities. Employees can serve at company-sponsored events, such as the brand’s annual 9/11 event, or individually in ways that speak to their own passions. To learn more about Timberland, the Path of Service program, and the brand’s commitment to communities visit https://www.timberland.com/responsibility/community.html
