Highlighting Our Most Memorable Volunteer Events
"From the very first moment we formed Western Healthcare, we discussed ways to give back to the community. It has evolved into our staff suggesting charities, and bringing their significant other and children to participate. Every time we close the office to go volunteer, we walk away with new perspectives about the struggles others are going through. We will continue volunteering every year!"
At Western Healthcare, we encourage hard work, personal achievement, and inspiring others. We do this by volunteering our time and energy to local organizations throughout the year. Because volunteering is such an integral part of our culture, we’re excited to celebrate National Volunteer Month (every April)! Take a trip down memory lane as we highlight some of our favorite team events over the years.
Ronald McDonald House of Dallas
The Ronald McDonald House exists to provide a “home away from home” for families of children who are receiving special medical treatment at nearby hospitals. The organization’s mission is to create a supportive and caring environment where families can stay close to their children and focus on their care, without the burden of finding lodging, transportation, or meals. The House features 77 private bedrooms, six extended-stay suites, six transplant apartments for families, playrooms for the children, and two large communal kitchens where three meals are provided per day.
We were honored to be a part of their mission by serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the RMD Dallas House. Our team split up into three groups for the three meal shifts, bringing all the ingredients with us, cooking each meal in the kitchen, and personally serving families staying at the facility. Our team left this experience feeling incredibly humbled. Thank you, RMH Dallas, for having us!
Equest Therapeutic Riding Center
Equest Therapeutic Riding Center in Dallas is the first of its kind in Texas. For over 40 years, Equest has been providing equine therapy to children and adults including veterans with physical, cognitive, sensory, social, and learning disabilities. Equest houses nearly 40 animals, including horses, miniature horses, and a miniature donkey; and features 38 stalls, two covered arenas, one outdoor arena, and 6,000 square feet of administration and therapy space.
Our staff split up into teams to perform a variety of indoor and outdoor tasks across the horse park while interacting with the animals. Projects included sanding and painting horse obstacle course equipment, providing food and water to the horses and donkeys, gardening, weeding, and landscaping the grounds, and much more. Read this blog post to learn more.
The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center
The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center serves individuals without a home in Dallas County. Its doors are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is the only shelter in Dallas providing day shelter services to all homeless adults. The Bridge offers hot showers, nutritious meals, haircuts, physical and mental health evaluations, and care management services for almost 500 guests per day. Its mission is to equip homeless men and women with the resources needed to recover and become self-sufficient.
To help the Bridge staff fulfill its commitment, our employees separated into teams to serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner throughout the day. It was a privilege to give back to those that need our help the most, and in our own backyard. We highly recommend The Bridge to anybody looking to volunteer in the Dallas community. Click here to learn more.
Greyhound Adoption League of Texas
Located just 15 minutes north of our office, the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas (GALT) is a non-profit organization that aims to rescue and provide homes for retired racing greyhounds. GALT’s mission is to provide every greyhound a loving, permanent home after their racing career is over. Since 2001, GALT has assisted nearly 4,000 greyhounds and other sighthounds in finding their forever homes.
With up to 50 hounds staying at GALT’s kennel facility, the organization depends on volunteers to help maintain the grounds and canines’ well-being. Spreading out across the campus, the Western crew worked alongside GALT volunteers to complete a variety of indoor and outdoor tasks. These activities included bathing the dogs, painting hallways, making handmade dog toys, landscaping, and touching up facility signage. What a privilege it was to spend the day pampering these intelligent animals, and lending a hand with campus maintenance. With so many dog lovers on our team, this experience was certainly one of our favorites! Read our blog post for more details.
