2010 Award Nomination form 

2008 Award Winners

Comcast 

Comcast Cares Day is a national day of service in all Comcast markets throughout the country. May 3, 2008, marked the 7th Annual Comcast Cares Day with over 50,000 Comcast employees, family members, and friends performing service in 34 states and the District of Columbia, working at over 1,750 project sites in local communities. Comcast Tri-County joined with parents, staff, citizens and elected officials of Takoma Park, MD, CentroNía, and KaBOOM! to construct a playground in a single day.

Build Day was miraculous. Over 390 volunteers showed up to do their part in making the day a success. Comcast’s volunteers, from all over the Tri-County area, arrived in three motor coaches. Everyone saw balloons flying and banners hanging and an empty playground site—except for the pile of mulch and the equipment. After breakfast and a rousing opening program, everyone set to work—assigned to a team building a piece of equipment, planting trees, moving mulch or building a shade structure for the children. Despite the hot weather, every person wore a never-ending smile. Everyone participated equally, developed friendships, and got their hands dirty.

City officials, elected officials, and community members witnessed Comcast as a corporation committed to giving back to the community. Comcast employees worked tirelessly, giving of themselves and created long-lasting bonds with colleagues. Many felt it was the best volunteer activity they had ever experienced. At the end there was a beautiful playground at the school for the children and community to enjoy.

Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker, P.A. 

Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker, P.A., makes significant annual contributions to charitable and civic organizations and legal service programs throughout Montgomery County and the Metro Washington area. Our community service efforts relate directly to the firm’s core values, which call for a commitment to the best interest of our community. The firm culture demonstrates a strong commitment to helping others through contributions and employee volunteering. The firm makes significant annual contributions as well as supports individual and group efforts to better the lives of those in the community.

Because of the diverse nature of Shulman Rogers’ community service activities, the benefits to the community are far reaching. We read to children at local Twinbrook Elementary School, collect food goods for local food banks and homeless shelters, and participate in an annual bowlathon so that the local Hospice facility can better care for more patients and their families. Our attorneys and staff serve in leadership positions in many non-profit organizations such as the Mental Health Association of Montgomery County, Hospice Caring, youth sports organizations and even the Corporate Volunteer Council. Since 1997, Shulman Rogers has funded the Leadership Montgomery Youth Community Services Awards, annually recognizing and rewarding five Montgomery County High School students who have displayed exemplary efforts toward helping others.

Everyone in the firm benefits from our service efforts, both from the perspective of positive public awareness and the sense of pride that comes from working for an organization that takes responsibility for the community in which it lives. Employees are filled with a strong sense of helping others in need, and of being part of a company that values these activities. During the holidays, managing shareholder David Pordy and firm founder Larry Shulman can be found right next to other employees wrapping gifts at Montgomery Mall to benefit Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

In addition to the monetary donations and numerous hours given through the efforts referenced above, in 2007 the firm contributed over 900 hours of pro bono legal services to residents of Montgomery County at a value of more than $200,000. Through the firm’s Pro Bono Guardianship Program, we can help those who have no one else to look after their best interests.

Text Design, Inc.

Text Design, Inc. has been a community partner for 18 years focusing our efforts on doing what we do best—graphic design and communication strategy. This year we started a strategic partnership with MobileMed in Bethesda. This non-profit provides much needed medical assistance to those without healthcare insurance.

They work from a number of mobile medical vehicles and have partnered with local hospitals to expand their community reach. This year we continued our support of youth baseball when we come out to play... “play ball” that is. Since 1999, Text Design has supported the Bethesda Big Train and its mission of promoting youth baseball in the DC metro area. Using our design skills, we created a 48 page program, magnets, game and camp schedules, flyers, invitations, and other support materials. Our support goes beyond Shirley Povich Field, where the team plays, and includes the “Fields of Dreams” initiative formed by Big Train founder Bruce Adams.

Through this program, kids in Anacostia receive academic and baseball instruction in after-school and summer camp programs. We support this worthy organization with design and production of all the applications, programs, and other print materials needed to keep this program operating. Throughout the year we continue to support other smaller fabulous community groups throughout the year including: Alliance for Workplace Excellence, Heritage Montgomery, Arts on the Block, Westland Wild Dash, Imagination Stage, and the Montgomery County Volunteer Center. Our goal is to help the community while growing our business in a positive way. As a small business our reach has been extensive and the rewards beyond description. We enjoy the work we do. Helping those around us gives us great pleasure.

2007 Award Winners

Allentuck Landscaping       Social & Scientific Systems, Inc.        MedImmune

Allentuck Landscaping

This has been an awesome year for Allentuck Landscaping Co.'s Volunteer Program! We've been celebrating our 20th anniversary with "Giving Tree 2007- Doing 20 Good Things for our Community." All employees have had opportunities to participate in a variety of activities from landscaping projects to donations of wonderful goods and services.

Some local nonprofit organizations that have benefited from this program include: Charter House, Raphael House, Camp Friendship, Jubilee Association of Maryland, Children's Inn at NIH, Hospice Cottage, Homeland Security Mobilization Center, Cluster Advisory Board of Montgomery County,  St. Luke's House, CVC, Strawberry Knoll and Jones Lane Elementary Schools. In honor of our troops, we have been mowing the lawn at the Silver Spring National Guard Armory and participated in a cleanup campaign on Arlington National Cemetary's Ground Day.

And the list goes on! More exciting giving projects are ahead. We plan to partner with our clients in a Manna Food Drive, donate holiday toys through CVC and participate in a Halloween Bowl-A-Thon to benefit Hospice Caring. These activities have all included employee volunteers to plan, work, and deliver our goods and services. A special result of this program is we all have been able to learn more about our community and have had chances to help improve the lives of those around us. At Allentuck Landscaping Co., we are grateful for the support our company receives from our community and very happy that we are in a position to be able to give a little back to those in need.

Social & Scientific Systems, Inc.

Social & Scientific Systems, Inc. (SSS), has recently entered its 30th year. Our founders were always involved in community service—it was part of our original strategic plan. This spirit of giving defines our character as a company and as individuals. We believe that it is important to contribute to the economic and social health of our region and its residents. We also believe that giving back to the community reflects the culture and mores of our employee-owners.

SSS’ volunteer program is led by a volunteer Community Service Committee. SSS employee-owners volunteer their time to serve as chairs of company-supported activities. Some activities are year round, while others occur quarterly or once a year. We try to support most community service and fundraising efforts that are initiated by SSS staff. Our community service and charitable giving centers around four themes: health, place, inclusiveness, and family.

SSS volunteers frequently participate in fundraising walks, rides, and races, as well as crocheting and knitting security blankets for children suffering trauma or undergoing medical treatment, cleaning roads through the Adopt-a-Road/Highway programs in our Maryland and North Carolina communities, and tending trails along the Potomac River and the C&O Canal in Washington, D.C. Staff also support a number of activities through Maryland and North Carolina nonprofits to assist local youth. Recently, the company collected funds to donate as school fees for children in Uganda, where SSS has an office.

MedImmune

MedImmune’s Community Commitment.
MedImmune, Inc., a biotechnology company headquartered in Gaithersburg, MD, employs approximately 1,200 of its 3,000 total staff members at its Montgomery County locations. Dedicated to advancing science and medicine to help people live better lives, the company’s therapeutic areas of focus include pediatric health, respiratory disease, cancer and inflammatory disease.

MedImmune initiates community service programs, provides sponsorships, and develops partnerships that align with the company’s mission and core areas of research. In addition to making approximately $3.5 million in worldwide charitable donations, the company participates in four community initiatives annually within Montgomery County.

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night and March of Dimes WalkAmerica. Beyond attending both events, MedImmune developed fundraising activities that engaged employees at every level, ultimately accumulating $6,000 for Light the Night, an evening walk that raises funds for blood cancer cures, and $1,000 for WalkAmerica, which supports research advancements for premature births. Additionally, as a national March of Dimes sponsor, MedImmune matched private donations nationwide dollar-for-dollar up to $50,000 from March through December of 2006. ScienceMONTGOMERY. For the third year in a row, MedImmune was a Gold sponsor of Montgomery County’s annual science fair. In addition to a $10,000 sponsorship, the company presented the MedImmune Advancing Science for Better Health Award to the student project with the greatest biological relevance to human disease. The winner received a paid internship at the company’s state-of-the-art research facilities.

The program has been a success with past winners, who continue to intern with the company throughout college. Additionally, two MedImmune employees that judged the competition recently joined the Montgomery County Science Fair Board to continue their community service. Young Women in Bio. Developed and hosted by MedImmune in partnership with the nonprofit Women in Bio organization, this annual event spanned two-days and brought 120 Montgomery County middle school girls to MedImmune’s headquarters to expose them to biosciences through the perspectives of the company’s top female executives with a fun and engaging approach. Giving and Getting Back.

Ultimately, MedImmune employees performed more than 2,800 hours of community service contributing to these programs. MedImmune’s participation raised employee morale, helped recruit and retain elite talent, improved MedImmune’s relationships with community leaders, and increased awareness of MedImmune’s position as a biotechnology leader. By supporting these programs, MedImmune has also provided tangible benefits to the community, including monetary donations, greater employee community involvement, and increased awareness for important causes countywide.