I am honored to have the opportunity to travel with Walkabout to Kenya this November. I joined Euromonitor just over a year ago, when I made the very difficult decision to leave a career in non-profit.
As I considered moving back into for-profit, it was incredibly important that the organization I worked for gave back to community in some capacity – and was ecstatic to find Euromonitor not only had a strong CSR program, but that philanthropic work was truly a part of the company culture globally.
I joined the CSR committee in Chicago as soon as I started at EMI. Now just a year in, it’s mind-boggling that I can give back in one of the most tangible ways I’ll ever experience.
To qualify for the CSR Challenge, I utilized my 20 volunteer hours at a local teen-center that offers students creative summer programming while they’re not in school, ran my first half-marathon and applied for a matched donation to support a local animal shelter that I have fostered dogs with, and helped the Chicago CSR committee plan events throughout Green Week.
Even though the trip is less than a month away, I still don’t feel like it’s really happening. I am so excited to travel to a part of the world I’ve never visited and be able to see first-hand the impact that Walkabout is making within these communities.
We’ll be visiting the manufacturing facility where the wheelchairs are made, and then deliver them to nearby towns and fit people in their wheelchair. I can’t imagine how it must feel to receive a wheelchair and find freedom and mobility again - knowing myself – I’ll likely get emotional. I am especially looking forward to the wheelchair volleyball game that’s on our agenda. It will be so special to see the positivity and joy of being able to utilize the mobility options that Walkabout provides. Not to mention trying new food, meeting new people, exploring the beauty of Kenya, and going on a safari…I’m quite sure it’ll be the trip of a lifetime.
Although I have a detailed itinerary and plenty of expectations, there are so many emotions and experiences that I’ll never be able to forecast. I can’t wait to be there to soak it all in. I am so thankful to Walkabout for the lifechanging work they do across the world, and thankful to Euromonitor’s CSR program that I’ll be able to be a small part of it.
Read all about the Social Action Challenge
Learn all about Walkabout Foundation
Hear us talking more about the Social Action Challenge
Discover more about our Corporate Social Responsibility goals