On September 11, sixteen employees from Encore Enterprises spent the day volunteering at Freedom Day 2013, Entrepreneurs for North Texas’ annual community service event honoring the lives changed on 9/11/01. Encore volunteers spent the day among member companies participating in various campus beautification projects at William H. Atwell Middle School/Law Academy in Southern Dallas.
“I cannot think of a better way to honor the lives lost on 9/11 than by celebrating our freedom to give back to our community,” said Sharla Hibberd, Investor Relations Administrator. “It was a privilege to participate in EFNT’s Freedom Day as part of our extremely hard-working team, and I look forward to joining the fun again next year.”
Volunteers from varying companies spent the day painting hallways, designing murals, and remodeling lounge areas at the middle school in preparation for the big reveal to the 950 students who attend the school.
“Our project was to go in and finish walls that had been primed earlier in the week. The walls were already taped off for the most part and we went in and painted the off-white all over the walls and then added the red and light blue stripes, which are the school’s colors,” said Lindsey Knodle, Executive Assistant for Encore Multi-Family. “Everyone had a great time, it was really neat being able to see our project from start to finish and to see how much we brightened up and livened the hallways of that school.”
With a contagious spirit of giving and paintbrushes at hand, many of the other Encore volunteers echoed similar sentiments. “We should all take a little time to volunteer and contribute to our community as we did at Atwell. It was a great experience and we would absolutely do it again. I found it kind of fun to see my work colleagues out of their normal element and enjoyed talking to them while completing our painting,” said Marshall Hess, Senior Managing Director of Encore Wealth Management.
Encore’s very own Sejal Desai, Vice President of Community Development, ensured that the event went on without a hitch, serving as coordinator for the Encore volunteer efforts. “Encore is proud to be a member of Entrepreneurs For North Texas and to participate in Freedom Day alongside almost 600 volunteers from 60 companies. It was a wonderful opportunity for our employees to give back to the community and also enjoy a day of team building,” said Desai.
After spending the day volunteering, Encore employees were motivated more than ever to continue paying it forward and dedicating their time to those less fortunate. Director of Encore Wealth Management Brenda Gordon said, “Freedom Day was a gratifying good-deed day to bond with colleagues and to be part of a community service to remember and respect the magnitude of the nation’s tragic loss on September 11. Count me in for next year!”
The event, which boasted nearly 600 volunteers from across Dallas-Ft. Worth, concluded with an awards ceremony where members of Entrepreneurs For North Texas were recognized for their hard work and dedication throughout the year. Entrepreneurs For North Texas estimates the value of the project to be worth $150,000 between donated time, money and elbow grease. After the success that was Freedom Day 2013, Encore Enterprises has every intention to continue participating in the annual event. Visit online for more information about Freedom Day and Entrepreneurs of North Texas.