August 10, 2017
At Next Level Performance, we are committed to actively contributing to the well-being of our community. We incorporate charitable giving into our daily work life, but the highlight of our year is HOPE Week. Initially begun with the NY Yankees, HOPE stands for Helping Others Persevere and Excel. Every August, the entire company participates in a week of community service, with a goal of helping our neighbors meet their own challenges and get to the next level.
This year, we are honored to dedicate time and resources to help three important organizations here in New Brunswick, New Jersey:
Children’s Specialized Hospital
Children’s Specialized Hospital (CSH) in New Brunswick serves children with traumatic brain injury, severe autism, and a variety of illnesses that make everyday life a challenge. At any given time, there are nearly 70 children, from ages one to twenty one at the hospital.
To encourage kids during hours of physical therapy, and to give them a little fun in their downtime, we’re crafting engaging Window Boxes therapists will use with the kids to keep them interested. Next Level teammates also created Activity Bags filled to the brim with fun things to do. We’re also taking on the therapists’ Wish List, to provide motivating toys and to meet practical needs.
To brighten things up, Next Level Performance teammates are invited to bring their own kids to the office, to make paintings to be displayed at the hospital, and to write notes of good wishes to kids at CSH. While in the office, Next Level Kids will also get to help with other HOPE Week projects, with their parents.
Alongside every hospitalized child is a family that is coping with not only the challenges of navigating the medical system, but also the day-to-day hurdles of unexpected nights at the hospital and upended schedules. For HOPE Week, we’re supporting these families with 150 nourishing Weekend Snack Packs that will keep energy up when the cafeteria is closed. We’re also providing 150 Parent’s Welcome Kits, with the basic toiletries, water, and playing cards for an unforeseen stay. Families will also enjoy a catered continental breakfast, designed to give them a chance to get to know one another, and to benefit from their shared experience.
Most children are patients at CSH for four to six weeks. This can mean difficult displacement and extra expenses for parents and siblings. Ronald McDonald House provides an essential home-away-from-home for these families, offering comfortable nearby living quarters, with kitchens, play areas, and most of the comforts of home.
Throughout the month of August, our team will donate spare change, to be matched by the company. Our goal is to collect the $500 it takes to cover the expenses of one family for the entire four to six weeks their child is in the hospital.
Our New Brunswick neighbor and frequent community partner, Elijah’s Promise’s mission is Food Changes Lives. Elijah’s Promise offers a soup kitchen, hospitality job training, and reduced cost or free clothing for those in need.
Each year we run an annual food drive, in partnership with our building management company, Matrix. With food collection in the lobby for a week, and a fun ice cream social to get everyone in the building involved, we can directly address the most immediate needs of our neighbors for food, clothing, and shelter.
Next Level Performance has been named one of NJBiz’s Best Places to Work in New Jersey. Our community service efforts are not only the right thing to do, they are also an important part of the glue that holds our own company community together. Our teammates are excited to roll up their sleeves and work together to benefit the kids of CSH, their families, and our neighbors in need.