National Ride to Work Day was on Wednesday, October 13, and 48 people from the Perth Office took up the challenge to adopt a healthier and environmentally sound form of transport for the day.

The Perth riders covered 590 kms – more than all the other Golder office tallies combined, amd raised $200 in cash donations for the Golder Trust for Orphans!

The office was also recognised by Bicycle Western Australia as having the second highest number of riders from one company in Western Australia and will be awarded a plaque for our contribution to the day.

Saskatoon Office employees are encouraged to drop their cans and bottles into recycling containers around the office, and also have the chance to participate in bottle drives and bring recyclables from home. All proceeds raised from these recyclables are donated to the Trust, with the office total for 2010 coming to $767.24 CDN!

With three expectant mothers in the Burnaby office’s Mining group, a baby pool was held to raise money for the Trust! Employees in the office entered their guesses of the sex, date and weight of the babies to the three moms to be Karine Doucet, Sonia D’Ambra and Karen Moffit. In the end a total of $510 CDN was raised.

In honour of our 50th Anniversary, and in memory of Rick Firlotte, the Golder Eastern Canada Golf Tournament was run as a charity event with all proceeds donated to the Trust. Combining sponsor donations, a small “golfer registration fee,” and the proceeds of a silent auction, a $8,249.43 CDN was presented to the Trust!

To raise awareness of the Golder Trust for Orphans (GTO) throughout Australia, the GTO office champions hosted a “GTO Week” from September 6th to 10th in six offices across the country.

The Australian office champions joined together to raise awareness and support for six projects currently assisted by the Golder Trust. Each office concentrated on one project to provide more detail into GTO operations, as well as on the background and vision of the GTO overall.

The projects supported were; Food Water Shelter (Perth), Bulembu Ministries (Melbourne), Mission Station of Carlos Vilanculos (Sydney), Hambu Ekukanyeni (Adelaide), Hands of Mercy (Cairns) and Lewa Children’s Home, School and Farm (Brisbane).

A poster, designed specifically for the week, was displayed in offices nationally and outlined upcoming activities planned for the event. Darren Watt, GAP Managing Director, then kicked off the week with an email to all staff across all offices, encouraging them to be involved in the valuable cause.

The offices planned various activities to engage staff including a bingo night, live gig performed by staff, table tennis championship, morning and afternoon teas and lunches, competitions, presentations and cake stalls.

The results of the week was fantastic with over $4000 AUD raised in cash donations, and more importantly, 55 additional people signing up to become regular donors to the GTO.
The success of the event proved it is an occasion worth continuing in years to come!

The Global Principals’ Meeting was held in Vancouver, Canada from October 13th – 16th. During the meeting, any Principals who were late for plenary sessions were asked to donate to the Trust. In addition to this, on Friday, October 15th, a fundraising and awareness raising breakfast was held in the Atrium of the Pan Pacific Hotel in support of the Trust. Principals coming for breakfast were invited to make a donation to the Trust, sign up for payroll donation, or make an online donation. They were also invited to sign a t-shirt that will be donated to the Shulzendal Crèche during the upcoming 2010 Volunteer Project. Photos from the Flickr site were shown around the room at the event.

Says Chris Swindells, one of the Trustees for the Trust for Orphans, “It was great to see the generosity of the Principals at the breakfast – the results exceeded our expectations. We are also appreciative of the Principals’ support of the Trust in their offices when local fundraisers and initiatives take place.”

Golder Associates has been awarded a 2010 Environmental Business Journal “Business Achievement Award” in the Social Contribution category.  This recognition comes as a result of a submission provided in 2010 with respect to the Golder Trust for Orphans (GTO) that describes how the collective efforts of the company’s employees have helped make a difference in the lives of over 1,000 African children in five different countries.

Environmental Business Journal (EBJ) is a well recognised organisation and publication that reaches environmental and engineering professionals on all continents through industry events and publications.  From October to December of 2010, EBJ solicited the environmental industry for nominations for its annual EBJ Business Achievement Awards.  Winners are divided into business achievement by size and segment, M&A awards, new practice areas, and international expansion.  Outstanding projects and new technology development or applications are awarded Project Merit Awards or Technology Merit Awards.  Finally, companies are recognised for contributions to the industry and society at large.  Final awards were determined by a committee of EBJ staff and EBJ editorial advisory board members. 

This award in the category of Social Contribution is testament to one of Golder’s core values of “Caring” and the company’s commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility. Representatives of the Golder Trust for Orphans as well as the Golder in US Management Team will be in San Diego for the official EBJ awards ceremony at the Environmental Industry Summit IX on March 9, 2011 to receive this honor in person.

Go here for additional information on the EBJ Business Achievement Awards. Visit http://goldertrust.org/ for the latest news on the Golder Trust for Orphans.