by Allison Glennon
Yesterday was the FOXGives Philanthropy Fair, an event designed to introduce the FOX community of employees to a handful of local non-profit organizations in the hope of spurring community outreach on a larger scale. The event is truly one of a kind and incredibly effective mainly due to the incredible drive to give that seems inherent in the FOX employee.
Volunteers met last year at the fair are still helping with our larger ongoing events even now a year later and a few have even stepped up to take the lead on some projects. To name just a few, Emmanuel Urbano has been helping to develop our Athletes for Real Medicine program, coordinating runners from FOX to run on behalf of Real Medicine in the 2010 LA Marathon and 5K (join us in 2011!); and Heather Hamilton recently spearheaded our Big Sunday event, coordinating even more FOX employees to come paint walls, build shelves, and sort through toys and clothing for our LA outreach room at the Florence and Western clinic.
“It’s been incredible,” says Sarah Stern, RMF Director of Administrative Operations & Los Angeles Outreach Program Coordinator, “FOX as a corporation has consistently supported Real Medicine not only financially through matching gift programs, but through their tremendous volunteer support. Fox has given us some of the strongest and most amazing volunteers who have truly stepped up to help and who continue to do so.”
“It goes to show that FOX must be an incredibly nurturing, supporting company to work for based on the amount their employees give back,” she adds, “they work full times jobs and yet they continue to come back in their own time again and again to take on more and more. I know that I can count on them–when they say they are going to be there, they are going to be there.”
This year, what was even more touching was the number of people who came up asking about opportunities for their children to get involved as well. One woman approached us regarding her seven year old son who is “learning how to share.” So far she has made a tradition that her son donate his old toys to charity around Christmas to make room for new ones and she wanted to know if that was something that we could use. Right away, Sarah beamed and shared with her a story of how her teenage daughter Hannah Stern, RMF Youth Team, was forever changed after she saw a little girl at our Florence and Western clinic wearing some of her old clothes with pride. “She realized that the little girl was looking up to her, ” said Sarah, “since then Hannah regularly combs through her old clothing and toys selecting items for donation because she understand the effect it has.” Now, Hannah is a regular at the clinic who especially enjoys reading to the children. 
Like the FOX employees chomping at the bit to help, we cannot wait to see what new relationships develop from this years fair. We would like say thank you to all of the familiar faces to who stopped by to say hello (especially those who said they read our new Volunteer newsletter), to the new faces who came by, signed up, and joined the FOXGives force for Real Medicine and to all the other non-profits who came to help make the event so diverse.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without the tireless dedication of Gerald Alcantar, Vice President, Diversity Development, Qiana Byrd, Employee Activities Coordinator, and Michelle De Armas, Program Coordinator — Thank you!
Sign up to receive our Volunteer Newsletter here or contact Sarah@realmedicinefoundation.org directly to get involved.
Learn more about Fox Gives
Read about the Fox Gives ongoing support of Real Medicine programs
FOXGives strives to enhance the quality of life in the communities we serve both locally and globally through employee engagement and community outreach. we are committed to developing high-impact philanthropic programs that serve the underprivileged, the environment and our youth.
Thanks to our runners, walkers, volunteers, and generous supporters we have been invited back as an 
It is not too late to donate to the 2010 team. Cut off will be sometime next month when we launch the 2011 team website. Keep an eye out!
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