At this year’s Technology Impact Awards gala on June 7th, we will be presenting the Community Engagement Award to one of our three finalists. Since all three companies are inspirations in the tech community, we thought we’d share their stories and spread the word on the positive impact they continue to create.

The first finalist to be featured is last year’s winner, Left. Read on and be inspired about the possibilities to impact your community!

*****

Content provided by Left

‘Impact Your Community.’ These words are one of the twelve core values that ‘Lefties’ (employees here at Left™) encompass and live by every day. The values were established by our co-founders over many cups of coffee, and are illustrated in chalk art on our kitchen wall, written on cards given out to each other monthly, and ingrained within our company culture.

The other values cover things like making time for family, accepting failure, making money, and being incredible – all of which are hugely important – but making a difference in our community tends to be the one that’s most on the forefront of our daily, monthly, and yearly actions and decisions – both as an organization as a whole, and as individuals.

Since establishment, our founders knew Impact Your Community was a core value that needed to be of utmost importance; however, they didn’t envision it becoming such a passionate employee-led program. Through team work and charitable efforts, Left™ has created an identity which lies within the amazing people who make up the organizational culture. It all started with the choice to relocate our office to Maple Ridge, so Lefties could be closer to their families and provide a better work-life balance; therefore, we built the business around our community: the heart of where we work, live, and play.

Some of the specific things we do as an organization to foster community engagement include encouraging employees to take unlimited paid community days throughout the year to volunteer in any way they chose, as well as quarterly group volunteer projects that we decide on and implement as a team throughout the year. The great thing about our community engagement, is the 101% that’s given by our employees. That extra one percent being the family and loved ones that so often come out to support us. When Left™ sets out on one of our quarterly commitments (with 100% team participation) Lefties often bring along their loved ones to help us help the community as well.

The extrinsic and intrinsic benefits that result from prioritizing our community engagement program are undeniable. Our program fosters team building, motivation, and a sense of purpose and achievement. Additionally, by offering a chance to recharge and de-stress, it encourages mentally and physically healthy employees. We have also noticed a common theme that offering employees these opportunities allow them to achieve personal goals and dreams. Inevitably, Lefties are also discovering new skills and passions along the way as they connect with community members.

But maybe more importantly (or at least just as importantly) we’ve taken impacting our community to another level with our app YO!, which aims to connect people globally who have limited access to fast, cheap, or secure internet connections. We think Impacting Our Community means more than impacting close to home – and we’re striving to impact the global community with our work on a daily basis. We also take pride in having an active role endorsing our community members in other ways – by hosting local entrepreneurs in our office during their early start-up phase, shopping locally, participating in boot camp at our local gym, and encouraging family connections we are instilling the importance of community everywhere we go.

Our focus on engaging with our community, both locally and globally, has shaped who we are as a company, how we make decisions, and the work we do on a daily basis. It allows our Lefties to impact the things they’re passionate about – whether that’s working in schools with their children or volunteering at the SPCA – and feel proud and excited to work within an organization that continues to find ways to impact other areas of the community on both a small and large scale.

*****

Find out who will take home the Community Engagement Award at the Technology Impact Awards on June 7th!

Ticket sales close June 1st at 5PM, so act fast!