The Michaels Organization, a national leader in residential real estate, hosted its inaugural National Day of Service on Friday, Oct. 13, sending out more than 2,500 teammates into communities across 39 states and the Caribbean to perform voluntary acts of service.
In its corporate hometown of Camden, New Jersey, more than 130 Michaels teammates spent the day volunteering at 17 sites throughout the city.
Volunteer efforts in Camden ranged from outdoor cleanup, maintenance, and gardening at parks and community gathering sites throughout the city to indoors where teammates worked to move furniture, paint, organize warehouses, spend time with children, and more for a variety of non-profit organizations including the Ronald McDonald House of Southern New Jersey, Habitat for Humanity, Urban Promise, and LUCY Outreach among others.
The Michaels Organization has worked with the Housing Authority of Camden for more than two decades to revitalize neighborhoods and develop new housing throughout the City. However, Michaels’ presence in Camden can be felt beyond just housing.
“When Michaels moved our headquarters to Camden in 2019, we committed to being good corporate citizens. Since then, we have kept our word through resident scholarship programs, annual Thanksgiving turkey giveaways, holiday toy drives, and more; but today will be the first time we’ll be all going out together to serve organizations that serve so many in this city,” explained Michaels CEO John O’Donnell to teammates and City of Camden Council Members Angel Fuentes, President; Nohemi Soria-Perez, Councilwoman At-Large; and Dana Redd, President & CEO of Camden Community Partnership, Inc. at a special kick-off celebration before dispersing into the community.
On-site, Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen joined Michaels teammates at Cramer Hill Nature Preserve Park to express his gratitude and support for the work Michaels has done throughout Camden.
“Our mission is to create Communities that Lift Lives; to create a legacy that makes the world a better place to live wherever we build and manage it. And we have been doing just that, for 50 years,” O’Donnell continued.
Throughout its 50-year history, Michaels has been active in the communities both in its corporate hometown of Camden, NJ, and across its geographical footprint where it owns and manages more than 500 communities serving households of all income ranges, as well as students and military personnel and their families.
Michaels has long invested in its residents, most significantly through The Michaels Organization Educational Foundation, involvement with nonprofits, schools, work training programs, and the like. Now, Michaels plans to ensure the National Day of Service remains an annual opportunity for teammates in Camden and throughout the country to “Do Well By Doing The Extraordinary.”
Shared October 16, 2023.
