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DTMB's celebration of giving
January 20, 2021
Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget (DTMB) employees have a tradition of giving to others every December. This year, several teams have continued to find ways to help others during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since 2003, team members from DTMB Agency Services supporting the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services have been participating in the Salvation Army Adopt-a-Family project. This year, the team helped a family with five children add a little fun to their holiday celebrations.
The team ordered gifts online, made monetary donations, and one person even made warm, cute fleece blankets for each of the children.
Other offices throughout the department also participated in the Adopt-A-Family program to help families in need enjoy the holidays. The DTMB Director's Office and senior leaders also continued their tradition, “adopting” three families this year, with seven children in total, ages 2-12.?
The Design and Delivery Services teams of DTMB’s Infrastructure and Operations division also have a long-standing holiday tradition of participating in the Adopt-a-Family charity drive, “adopting” two families this year. Staff purchased clothing, toys, and much needed household items, and raised an additional $1,000 to help these families during their time of need.
A team at the Office of Retirement Services (ORS) “adopted” a family of eight this holiday season.
“It was a little different this year trying to get everything together virtually,” ORS analyst Jennifer Dunavant said. “Some people donated money, some had items shipped to my house, others dropped off their items. During this? tough time, we just wanted to make a family's Christmas a little brighter.”
Julie Gilbert, sister of project manager Jana Rolston, is a developmental kindergarten teacher in Charlotte Public Schools. Her class of 16 kids were disappointed when school went totally virtual before the holidays due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
DTMB’s Enterprise Portfolio Management Organization decided to help them out with the Christmas spirit and bought the kids a few things to put smiles on their faces during the pandemic. In less than 10 days, the team pulled together toys and presents for the class, including gifts specifically for several of the students in the class that have special needs.
The team from Agency Services supporting the Michigan Department of Transportation celebrated their ninth annual Diwali celebration virtually. The team hosted a lunch time video meeting in lieu of their usual in-person celebration. They also compiled a video in recognition of Diwali. The team uses their annual celebration to help those in need, and this year was no exception. Their donations to the Red Cross Disaster Recovery surpassed all previous years, with a collection of $770.
DTMB's Office of Continuous Improvement staff donated money towards purchasing items for veterans at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans. Items were selected from a list of needs and wants that had been posted on Facebook. OCI staff donated more than $361, resulting in the purchase of the following items:
- 100 AA batteries
- 100 AAA batteries
- 192 coffee K-cups
- 42 cocoa K-cups
- 36 Gillette disposable razors
- 66 tubes of Chapstick
- 2 Remington 3-head electric razors
- 2 Wahl Groomsman Electric Beard & Hair/Nose trimmer combo sets
- 3 electric beard trimmers
- 36 Pure Protein Bars
- 12 Cliff Bars
Since the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans is currently not allowing visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the items were ordered online and sent to the home to allow for contactless delivery.
When deciding which organization to support this year, OCI chose the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans not only in appreciation of the service veterans have provided to our nation, but also due to the "inside view" OCI gained when they worked with the organization on process improvements. When the OCI staff was onsite, they were always warmly received by the veteran residents. Additionally, at least one OCI staff member has a family member that resided there.?
These are just a few of the examples of the ways DTMB teams help support the communities in which we live, work, and play. More information and stories can be found at DTMB Cares.