When Maria Martindale and the Dallas team vowed at the close of 2007 to put the focus on community involvement this year, they put their money where their hearts are. Each quarter, the office staff plans to donate a minimum of $250 to a worthy cause, and they're off to a rousing start.
They launched their mission with the Union Gospel Mission, a homeless shelter "Serving The Last, The Least and The Lost Since 1949," according to UGM's website, by donating $250 in October 2007 to help the men and women the shelter serves throughout Dallas and its surrounding communities. Because UGM is supported solely through individual, business and church contributions, Accretive Solutions picked a perfect place to make an impact.
On the heels of their UGM donation, the staff launched a massive toy drive at their annual Christmas party for Community Partners of Dallas, a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring safety and restoring hope to abused and neglected children through a wealth of resources and support services. The AS crew collected a covey of cuddly toys, games and "fulfilled wish cards" for specific children, making for a happier holiday indeed.
They also held a "coat drive" for the Austin Street Centre, which has been providing shelter, food, showers, medications, counseling and job-training programs free of charge to Dallas’ homeless and poor for 23 years. The office gathered a trunk full of coats to keep Austin Centre patrons warm this past winter.
This quarter, the crew is donating $250 to the Family Place, the largest family violence service provider in the Dallas area, which has been keeping women and children safe for more than 30 years.