Office Interior Design Blog |

News of the devastation in Haiti wasn’t just headlines to one of our SPACE team members.  Shelly was a member of Friends of Haiti Organization (FOHO), a non-profit that serves the people of Haiti by building churches, schools, wells, stores, orphanages, and more.  She was secretary of that organization for 7 years.

FOHO has a list from which several projects are picked each year for work teams to take on.  Shelly’s worked on building projects, in the hospitals and clinics, and at the orphanages.  In the last 10 years, raising money to repair water wells in Haiti has been a major focus for Shelly.  The wells break due to overuse, so Shelly’s husband created a nylon bushing to slip around the rods to prevent wear.  One well will provide water to about 5,000 people.  This pictures shows Haitian people using one of the wells.

Shelly traveled to Haiti several times during her tenure with FOHO.  She first went in 1993 and her last trip was in 2004.  Twice she took her son, Chas.  She made several friends in Haiti and maintains contact with them to this day.  She’s received updates throughout the weeks since the earthquake about friends and their family members lost in the quake.  She learned that the FOHO building was completely demolished.

The Saginaw Chapter of AlTrusa has sponsored a Haitian child for several years, but no one from their organization has ever been to Haiti.   After learning of Shelly’s commitment to Haiti, Altrusa contacted her to speak at one of their meetings.  After her presentation and the Q & A session, the chapter gave a donation to FOHO and one member gave a personal check. 

Shelly’s work in Haiti and her continued involvement with its people and their needs takes SPACE’s core value of community service to the international level.  Now she’s sharing that value with other organizations who are, in turn, helping Haiti.

Right from the start the “Zody” chair from Haworth has been a winner.  It has won several awards since it’s introduction a couple of years ago.  Although the Zody fits 95% of the population there were several requests for the addition of a headrest to the chair.  Haworth, with it’s forward thinking and attention to customer’s requests, has developed a new headrest for the Zody.  This chair is so comfortable, from what clients say, all it needed was a pillow and they would fall asleep.  Obviously we don’t want workers falling asleep in our chairs, but that is a testament to how comfortable the Zody really is to people who own the chair now. 

As I write this blog, I too, am sitting in a Zody chair.  I must say it is a very comfortable chair and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a new ergonomic chair.  If someone is going to be sitting at their desk for the majority of their work day, they owe it to theirselves to give the Zody a try.  As a taller person, I appreciate the option of the headrest.  SPACE Inc has the Zody chair with a headrest in stock if you would like to try one out for yourself.

zody-with-head-rest

The 71st Midland Area Chamber of Commerce annual meeting held this past week celebrated success in adversity and growth in recession.  For five years SPACE, Inc. has supported Chamber iniatives and membership by sponsoring an award given to a person in the community who exemplifies giving back and fostering growth. 

The award grew out of SPACE’s commitment to community involvement and the desire by the owners of SPACE to recognize that same commitment in others.  SPACE has community service as a core value and encourages and supports every team member’s effort to live the value.

This year’s winner is Wayne Crosby, founder of Re/Max of Midland.  Wayne’s impact on and in the community is evidenced every year by the Re/Max Balloon Festival he organizes as the kickoff event for the United Way campaign.  He’s been a campaign chair and served as President of the United Way of Midland County Board of Directors in 1999.  He’s also served on the Chamber board and has been a Rotarian for almost 20 years.  Recently, when the local food pantries were running short, Wayne organized and led the drive to restock them.  His efforts raised cash and goods valued at nearly $80,000. 

Wayne joins past honorees Marty McGuire, Orrin Barrett, Cliff Miles, and Greg Dorrien.   SPACE is proud to sponsor the award that recognizes community commitment.  It takes our internal core value and expands it to include the greater community.

Congratulations to Wayne Crosby, the 2010 “Excellence in Community Service” Award winner!

If you don’t have to travel in bad winter weather, don’t. If you need to travel here are some tips.

·        Check your windshield wiper blades to make sure they work properly.

·         Test the anti-freeze/coolant to provide the correct level of protection required in your driving area.

·        Make sure your tires are properly inflated.

·        Keep your gas tank at least half-full. The extra volume can help reduce moisture problems within your fuel system. It also adds helpful weight to your vehicle.

·        In rear-wheel drive vehicles, extra weight in the trunk may be helpful. Use care– unsecured weight can shift while you are moving or if you have to stop suddenly. Bags of sand can provide weight and, if sprinkled on the ice, sand helps provide traction.

·        Before you leave your driveway, scrape the ice and snow from every window and the exterior rear view mirrors. Don’t forget to remove snow from headlights and brake lights.

·        Don’t use a cellular phone when driving on ice or snow. Even if you have a hands-free model, you need to concentrate on driving, not on a telephone conversation.

·        Drive slowly and remember posted speed limits identify the maximum speed allowed in ideal weather conditions.

·        Keep a light touch on the brakes. Tip toe to slow is a good motto for winter drivers.

·        Keep both hands on the wheel and keep the wheel pointed where you want your car to go.

·        Keep your vehicle stocked with simple emergency equipment in case you do get stalled or have an accident. Consider keeping these items in your vehicle:

·        blanket or extra clothes
- candle with matches
- snacks
- beverages (never alcohol)
- flares
- C. B. radio, cellular phone or ham radio
- a small shovel
- flashlight
- windshield scraping device
- tow rope
- bag of sand or cat litter for traction
- long jumper cables

No, it’s not Spring yet….but, it’s never too early to start promoting the MS Walk.  Usually the walk occurs in April, but this year the Midland MS Walk is on Saturday, May 1. 

The SPACE team has been very supportive of this fundraising event and I’m looking forward to another successful walk.  Those team members who don’t participate in the walk, financially support those who do.  Those who do walk bring spouses, children, wagons, and strollers.  It’s a company-wide, family-oriented event capped by a group breakfast afterward. 

The Midland MS Walk is only 3 miles long, but it is the perfect length for families.  It winds through the historical district and includes a portion of the Rail Trail.  There are 600 Walks in the U.S. each year.  The National MS Society also promotes “Challenge Walks” that are 2 or 3 day events covering 30-50 miles.  Maybe next year?

Stay tuned for updates as we get closer to the Walk date.

Do you like to garden?  Are you a dog lover?  What about scrapbooking and arts and crafts?  Turn your talent into a volunteer opportunity to help others.

Rider with side-walkers and horse leader

For example, if you love horses, you could volunteer for the “Tall in the Saddle” program that provides side walkers and horse leaders to help physically and mentally-challenged children and young adults learn to ride horses.   Your skill with arts and crafts can help keep senior citizens active and alert….and, you might learn something from them, too.  Become a tutor through the Literacy Council and help someone learn to read; what a great gift to give!

Pet therapy volunteers take their animals to senior housing, day care facilities, and rehabilitation centers so residents can enjoy the calming effect of petting an animal.  If that’s not your cup of tea, how about a cup of tea?  Visiting shut-ins and residents in senior homes, listening to their fascinating stories, and sharing a cup of tea is a great way to volunteer your time. 

If you like to get dirty, how about giving your time to maintaining greenery at a non-profit agency, senior citizens’ home, or at an elderly neighbor’s?  Volunteers are needed for planting flowers in the Spring and raking in the Fall.  Before you know it, the annual Midland Blooms planting along Eastman Road will be here.  This is a great opportunity that makes a huge visible impact on our community.

Serving on a board of directors, offering your professional services pro bono, and coaching a kid’s basketball team are more ways to get involved and give back.  There’s no shortage of need and no shortage of talent.   It’s the job of the United Way Volunteer Center to put the two together. 

So, don’t hide your light under a bushel….share your talent with your community!

SPACE’s newly-selected Employee Council didn’t take long to come up with some great ideas to emphasize and promote SPACE core values.  One they’re working on right now is to set up a blood drive at SPACE.

There’s always a need for blood, but the overwhelming catastrophe in Haiti has kept that need front and center.  Our Employee Council took it upon themselves to answer the call and make it a company-wide event.  While many of us have donated blood, SPACE itself has never sponsored a blood drive.  Thank you to our Employee Council for embracing the SPACE core value of giving back to the larger community.

According to Jessie, an Employee Council member, if you can’t give blood, you can volunteer to help in some other way.   Volunteers are needed to promote the drive, recruit and register donors, schedule appointments, etc.  Further details will be forthcoming once a firm date is known.   So…keep an eye out for the mobile blood unit in our parking lot!

One hundred women, one hundred dollars each, one non-profit program equal a $10,000 impact on the Midland community.   Last year, Bobbie Arnold, founder of the club, called a few friends who called a few friends and the Midland 100 Club was born with 35 members.  It has grown to 102 members.

This isn’t your regular club.  There are no monthly meetings.  It’s not a service organization.  There are no fundraising dinners or events.   What it is is a response from busy women who want to make a difference in a big way. 

Here’s how it works.  The members meet for an hour 3 times a year.  At the beginning of each meeting anyone who wants to put a name of a non-profit organization (501C3) or program into a hat can do so.  Three names are drawn and the people who submitted the entries are asked to stand up and make a simple oral presentation about their submission.  There’s a Q & A session after each presentation.   After all three presentations, the members vote on which one will get the club’s donation.  Then each woman writes a check for $100 made out to the charity.  That means record-keeping is minimal as the non-profit organization then responds directly to the donor. 

One of the owners of SPACE, Kathie, is a member.  Other SPACE employees will be joining in the near future.  Kathie reports that the first meeting she attended resulted in a donation of $8700 to MidMichigan Regional Medical Center’s Mammography Fund.  The donation covers the cost of breast screenings for women who can’t afford the service.

The most recent meeting last week resulted in the Midland Emergency Food Pantry Network “Backpack Buddies” program receiving the donation.  This program provides a backpack filled with nutritious food to children on Fridays so they will have something to eat over the weekend.  The children return to school on Monday nourished and ready to learn.  The backpacks are used by children enrolled in the free or reduced-cost lunch programs and Midland schools.   

 In a Saginaw News article in September, Bobbie Arnold said, “It’s a simple way to let others help: not a lot of money, not a lot of time.  But the effect of three gifts a year multiplied by the number of members will in time grow to be truly significant.”

Two of our SPACE team members are involved in very different events that give back to our community and help others.  Let’s see what they’ve been up to:

Gary and his immediate family, as well as sisters, a niece, his mother-in-law, and some close friends participated in the Leelanau County Relay this past summer in memory of his father-in-law who passed away in 2009.  As Gary recounts the story, “I thought I would be superman and run several miles throughout the night.”  However, after a short while into it, he realized that his “legs did not want to participate in the fun.”  He said he had trouble walking for 2 days after the event.  Despite that, Gary’s family is planning on making this an annual event.  Stay tuned to see if Gary achieves superman status in 2010.

Donna volunteers with the Johnny Burke Children’s Foundation.  The foundation helps to pay medical bills for sick children, find appropriate medical attention for children in need, cover travel and lodging expenses when the kids have to visit specialists or have extensive testing done, and supply specialized equipment that insurance may not cover.  There are fundraising events held throughout the year that require the help of volunteers:  several golf outings, the Frankenmuth Clam and Lobster Fest, the Celebrity Rib challenge, and others.  Donna donates her time to these events which raise money for children in the tri-city area.

Thank you both for embracing SPACE’s core value of community service.  You ARE making a difference!

I usually blog about how SPACE team members impact the external community, but this Christmas the SPACE team came together to support one of our own. 

One of our team had to have surgery and may need a second surgery.  He has been on unpaid leave for several weeks after he used up all his compensated time off.   To help his family, Carol suggested a “giving tree” filled with a variety of gift cards. 

SPACE team members got together and purchased all sorts of cards from Meijer, Walmart, gas stations and Target.  The tree was filled with red and white tags, miniature Christmas balls, and candy canes.  In addition, the company (thank you Kathie and Lisa) matched the gifts. 

So, the company core value of “community service” isn’t just for events that are more visible in the community.  It works quietly out of the public eye, too. 

What a great way to say “Merry Christmas” to a fellow employee!