Instead of spending this week building a communications strategy for clients, 10 staffers from Ariad Custom Communications are building a school for needy children in Africa.
As part of Ariad’s ongoing commitment to the global charity Free the Children, the Toronto agency has sent a group of people to the rural village of Pimbiniet, Kenya. Agency staffers will spend the next seven days building the school and assisting villagers with other tasks.
The staffers, including president Michael Beckerman, are detailing their experiences in a blog.
Ariad has donated $40,000 to Free the Children since it began working with the organization, and plans to contribute “significant” pro bono work to the organization in 2011. This year’s cash donation will go towards sustaining a new health clinic serving Pimbiniet and the surrounding area.
“[Charitable work] really is a part of the culture here,” said Ariad’s senior account director, Kieran Miles. “Our philanthropic committee has been around for a long time and it’s an important part of what we do.”
