Giving Back:

Last week the Reed Tech Life Sciences team spent some time out of the office to give back to the Philadelphia community. The team met up at Cradles to Crayons, a non-profit serving children in need from birth through age 12 with the everyday essentials they need to thrive — at home, at school, and at play. The volunteer time is part of the LexisNexis Cares program, allowing each employee two ‘Cares Days’ to use towards volunteer work. 

There are many ways to contribute at Cradles to Crayons. From sorting clothing, cleaning shoes, and quality checking new arrivals, to pulling looks and creating outfits that will make these kids feel great.

With inflation on the rise, donations are down this year. It is important to donate if you are able. A $33 donation will dress a child from head to toe, from hats and coats to weather appropriate proper footwear. Physical donations of quality condition items of clothing are also a wonderful way to contribute.

Focus on dignity is key to the Cradles to Crayons philosophy. The children served come from many different circumstances, many from families that live in ‘deep poverty,’ which is defined by being a family of four living on less than $12,000 annually. Cradles to Crayons focuses on delivering only the finest quality items to children in need.

This is where the Reed Tech team came in. As the C2C team brought us cart after cart of donated garments, the team went to work separating the items by gender and item type with a discerning eye on quality control. The work went quickly, and the team had a great time bonding as we labored together.

Please see below for a short slideshow documenting our experience.

For more information on how you can donate your time or belongings to Cradles to Crayons, please visit the website at www.cradlestocrayons.org.