Charles Caleb Colton, in “Lacon or Many Things in Few Words: Addressed to Those Who Think,” wrote, “did universal charity prevail, earth would be a heaven, and hell a fable.” Human resource and mobility professionals have long since held a reputation of being concerned for the welfare of others, and Wayman outlines a new Worldwide ERC® Foundation initiative that aims to improve the mobile lives of those who are less fortunate.
If you received a request to help a needy person relocate and it was within your ability to actually do something about it, would you help him or her? If you answered yes, read on.
Pro bono work has long been done by legal professionals. We also have learned about some pro bono work being done by relocation professionals and their employers. The Worldwide ERC® Foundation for Workforce Mobility is exploring how it can harness the collective efforts of our 13,000 Worldwide ERC® members to help needy people relocate.
Picture this: a recently single parent leaving an abusive situation must relocate to be closer to family who can help with child care and a job. She has lots of challenges including selling a home, moving household goods, renting in the new area, job counseling, and some help with deposits. Or, what if an overseas Worldwide ERC® member had a child with a medical condition who could benefit from extended treatment in the U.S.? Such a person could use help with transportation, a loaner car, furnished temporary housing, and visa/immigration support.
If Worldwide ERC® members in the departure and destination areas were aware of this need and were certain it was a legitimate request, do you think we could help? Our belief is yes! That is why your Foundation trustees have been discussing an initiative we have dubbed “Compassionate Mobility.”
The draft purpose of Compassionate Mobility is to use the time, expertise, and resources of the global workforce mobility industry to provide relocation assistance for the disadvantaged.
The following represent examples of people we could serve:
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women leaving abusive situations;
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single parent households moving for support/job reasons;
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disabled veterans;
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families moving for health care reasons;
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victims of crime;
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victims of natural disasters;
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elderly moving to assisted living;
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families of prisoners; and
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non-profit volunteers.
Examples of the services we can arrange:
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visa and immigration support;
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departure services—leaving the old residence;
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destination services—securing new residence;
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moving belongings;
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providing furnishings;
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temporary living;
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first month’s rent;
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utility deposits;
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settling-in services; and
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job-finding assistance in a new area.
While we easily can speculate that such needs exist, one of the key questions we must explore is how to actually identify people in need, along with verifying the validity of that need. We could engage our members to alert us of situations that might qualify for our support and fit within our resources. We might also rely on selected government or non-profit agencies as a source of potential beneficiaries.
In thinking through how the potential process might work, we came up with the following outline:
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A Worldwide ERC® member identifies a potential need.
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An intake “mobility specialist” conducts a needs assessment.
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The needs and validity are investigated by the mobility specialist.
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A moving plan, timeline, and budget are prepared by the mobility specialist.
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A Compassionate Mobility Committee, established by the Foundation, reviews and approves the plan and budget.
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Resources are secured among Worldwide ERC® members to
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complete the plan.
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The relocation and/or assistance is administered.
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The story about our industry support is captured and shared.
So where will we be getting the resources to provide these services? We hope that many Worldwide ERC® members will be willing to consider requests as needs arise. Perhaps discounted or pro bono services can be offered. We also expect to generate tax-deductible member contributions to our Foundation by sharing the compelling stories of those we have assisted.
We Need Your help
You can help us explore this concept further by lending your expertise in any of the following categories:
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providing pro bono relocation services such as those outlined above;
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identifying needy situations and their validity;
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fund raising and/or grant raising;
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willingness to be on the list of potential resources when needs arise;
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willingness to volunteer as a mobility specialist as outlined above; and
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interest in joining the Compassionate Mobility team as we build on these ideas to formulate and execute a plan.
Please send us a note about how you can help to foundation@WorldwideERC.org along with your contact information.
We know that Worldwide ERC® members are a caring, resourceful, and talented group. Organizing our talents and resources will enable us to help people with real needs. We can leverage the experience of providing similar services on a fee basis globally, and make that expertise available to those in need. We hope to hear from many of you as we work together to solve challenges, change lives, and bring comfort to those in need. If you care… you can help. Please join us.
Peter Wayman, SCRP, GMS, is chief commercial officer for Atlas World Group and is based in Dallas, Texas. He can be reached at +1 972 556 0144 or e-mail peterwayman@yahoo.com.
Competitive Movers Join Together in Collaborative Effort to Benefit Seattle Area Women and Children in Transition
By Nancy Juetten
Economic times are tough across America and for many in the Pacific Northwest. Now more than ever, women and children in transition because of divorce, abuse, and neglect are among the most vulnerable. The good news is that a team of typically competitive moving companies joined together in April during three uncharacteristically bright, sunny days in Seattle, WA, to contribute time and talent to make life better for those needing reasons to smile.
David Cox, general manager of Graebel Relocation Services Worldwide and president of the Pacific Northwest Relocation Council (PNWRC), inspired professional moving teams from Ace Relocations, Air Van Moving Company, Alexander’s Mobility, Corporate Relocation Systems, Graebel Quality Movers, and Home Destination Services into action. Together, they executed what had been forecasted to be a six-day move from the dated and dreary Women’s and Children’s Shelter in the Chinatown International District to a bright, shiny, new facility in the New Holly neighborhood of South Seattle.
Hope Place is an 80,691 square foot facility that is three times the size as the prior venue and offers 99 rooms to accommodate women and children in transition.
Since 2006, the PNWRC has supported Son Rise House through donations raised from annual July golf tournaments. Typically, the organization raises $5,000 to $10,000 each year for the cause. The contribution of moving services for Hope Place gave everyone a timely reason to roll up their sleeves and get personally involved in the cause.
Cox explained that a team of six movers worked with the Union Gospel Mission to walk the facilities and develop a move plan. All the participating companies contributed manpower to execute the move, and many contributed trucks and trailers. Others contributed lunch each day to keep the team energized to accomplish the task at hand. A team of six movers moved 24 truckloads and 100,000 pounds of desks, beds, dressers, and personal items to Hope Place, setting the stage for up to 120 women and children to move in to enjoy bright, cheerful, new spaces to call home.
Ace Relocations Systems Inc. Operations Manager Mike McHugh said, “as a family-owned business, our dedication and willingness to contribute to the community is at the forefront of our mission. This move was not competitive in nature, but a chance to enhance the outstanding services provided by a community resource. In the end, it comes down to professional movers, no matter what company you work for, getting together, formulating a plan, and all coming together to get it done.
Kevin T. Moen, CRP, GMS, social responsibility committee chair for PNWRC and a representative of Air Van Moving Company, said, “the power of coming together, lowering our rates below market value, and performing this move was an obligation and something that builds important infrastructure to serve our community.”
Alexander’s Mobility Services National Account Manager Ross Buckley said, “we take competition very seriously at Alexander’s. It’s our job to run over the competition. In this case, we came together for this cause. We applied our own personal resources to get the job done. We had three people on the job who traveled 200 miles from Portland, OR, to do the job. We forgave almost all of our expense. And I believe everyone else did the same thing.”
He continued, “everyone who worked on this job approached it from the same perspective. We are going to bust our butts because it’s the right thing to do. And everyone did.”
Nancy Juetten is a publicist, newspaper columnist, speaker, Publici-Tea™ trainer, and the author of the Media-Savvy-to-Go Publicity e-Toolkit. She can be reached at +1 425 641 5214 or nancy@nsjmktg.com.
About the Pacific Northwest Relocation Council:
The Pacific Northwest Relocation Council is an organization of relocation professionals from all sectors of the relocation industry serving the Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, areas, as well as global and national interests. The next charity golf tournament to benefit Union Gospel Mission’s Hope Place is set for July 29, 2009, at Washington National Golf Course. To participate, sponsor, or make a donation, visit the Social Responsibility page at www.pnwrc.net and raise your hand to get involved in the ways that fit best.