​Guidant Global US gives back: The Riley Katheryn Foundation

By John Abrams, Manager VMS Helpdesk, USA

#TeamGuidantUS has a very stylish tradition when it comes to raising funds…
In that we wear jeans to work to raise funds for a cause!

We call it The Jeans Day Program. This means we can wear jeans to the office in exchange for a nominal per-pay payroll deduction – it’s an opportunity for us to go casual in the workplace in order to raise funds for a charity or cause.

Every quarter, participating employees have an opportunity to nominate a charity of their choice. Once nominees are finalized, we cast our vote on the charity to receive that quarter’s fund.

The winning charity will be invited to our Southfield office in Michigan for a presentation, where we’ll gather in our community room to listen to our winning cause talk us through how we can help down the line. And of course, we round the day off by presenting them with an oversized check.

I chose a charity near and dear to me: The Riley Katheryn Foundation
This foundation was started by a family friend of mine after one of her twins passed away shortly after birth. Because my wife and I have found ourselves in a similar circumstance before, we befriended the couple and made it our goal to help those who’ve either lost an infant, have had a stillbirth, or have dealt with a similar loss that resulted in having to bury their baby.

We’ve since seen successful fundraisers to date and the Riley Katheryn foundation has now grown to cover all of Michigan. Every family that’s referred to the foundation receives assistance for funeral costs and becomes part of the foundation’s support network.

For such an amazing cause, we’ve managed to raise $4,798.77 – and I’m proud to say it was one of the largest donations the foundation has ever received in its lifetime.

Giving back also helps us feel truly united.
While it’s part of our culture at Guidant Global to be good corporate citizens, on personal front, it’s programs like this where we can feel united in giving back and helping different areas of society – on occasion, there have been many causes that we’ve rallied around and voted almost unanimously on.

Once we donate to a charity, they aren’t eligible to be nominated again. So, we as an organisation will continue to find new special causes that need our help.

The nominees were all strong contenders.
In this same quarter, Team Guidant US also had nominated:

• Scarlet’s Smile: Named after a 6-year old girl fighting Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Scarlet’s Smile is dedicated to building an 18,000 square foot barrier-free inclusive playground for kids of all ages and abilities to play together.

• Sweethearts Animal Rescue: A charity that strives to save animals from situations of abandonment, neglect, abuse and injury by focusing on street intercession, medical help, rescue placement, fostering and their finding forever home.

• Bark Nation: Bark Nation serves specifically to end canine cruelty through enforcement, enrichment and intervention to make the world a better place for all dogs.

• 1 Mother 2 Another: A review platform where new parents can access honest and comprehensive baby products, from one parent to another.

• Paws & Think Detroit: As a small Detroit-based rescue and awareness group, they strive to save dogs from abandonment, unsafe households and receiving euthanasia as a result of overcrowding animal shelters.

I’ll continue to participate in the charity fund, as long as it is offered, and many of us at the Southfield office feel the same way. With so many great causes, I was really happy that so many people had cast their vote for my chosen cause.

About The Riley Katheryn Foundation
The Riley Katheryn Foundation is dedicated to increasing awareness of infant death and providing financial assistance towards funeral and burial expenses to families who have lost their newborns.

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