Community Investment: Giving back to our community during the holiday season

The Calgary Humane Society is the only organization that provides service under the Animal Protection Act in Calgary, providing care for surrendered, neglected, abandoned and abused animals. As part of our commitment to social responsibility, each PwC staff member receives one paid day off per year to volunteer with a local organization. The events are planned, enabling PwC colleagues to spend the day together contributing to their community.

Ahead of the holiday season, five PwC staff, including April Bryant, Coenraad Claassens and Andrea Clarke, spent the afternoon cleaning and helping Human Society staff prepare for their December 8 Christmas Party for the Animals. Between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., visitors and their beloved pets flooded The Calgary Humane Society to celebrate the holidays with a fundraiser, crafts for kids, and even a chance for pets to have their photo taken with Santa Claus.

“The Calgary Human Society largely depends on volunteers—with the help of volunteers, the funds otherwise needed to employ staff can go to support the animals in need. I love animals, and have a few of my own, and was instantly interested in the volunteer day with PwC,” says April Bryant, Client Account Associate and L&D Coordinator at PwC Calgary. “I would definitely recommend this volunteer event to anyone, especially those with a soft spot for animals. I’m now looking into ways I can volunteer more regularly with The Calgary Humane Society as it’s a place very special to me.”

PwC offers a number of volunteer opportunities throughout the year. Other recent events include:

Samaritan’s Purse

On Friday, November 30, Greg Chu, Kelly Goodlad, Bianca Moreira, Alessandra Alves and Isabel Mendonca volunteered their time at Samaritan’s Purse, helping to fill holiday shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. “I’m glad I was able to take part—I’m humbled by this activity and want to attend again next year,” says Tax Services associate Greg Chu.

Ronald McDonald House

On Wednesday, December 5, Dianna Riley, Karen Dempster, Julie Thomson, Kaela Duhault and Kirstyn Kobayashi helped out with holiday activities at the local Ronald McDonald House, assisting with festive baking and some cleaning and organizing. “I appreciate the firm allowing us to take a day of work to volunteer and provide help to charities which appreciate the assistance,” says Dianna Riley, senior manager in the audit and assurance team. “I think the most rewarding part of the day was seeing one of the children with chocolate all over her face as she enjoyed the cookies we baked.”

Salvation Army—Edmonton Community and Family Services

On Friday, December 7, some PwC employees in Edmonton volunteered with the Salvatin Army, serving lunch to seniors and helping the Salvation Army staff sort food for the holidays. “The most rewarding part of my day was the opportunity to spend time with seniors and show that we care about them,” says Bill Yang, senior associate on the PwC Edmonton tax team. “Through this activity, I realized that there are still many people who need our attention and care. They may lose their family for some reason, but hopefully the quality time with our volunteers helped them feel at home again.”

Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter

On Monday, December 10, Ania Kroman, Leanne Chow and Tamara McKinstry volunteered at the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter, helping to bring a little holiday cheer to the women and children currently in-residence there. After decking the halls, the volunteers sorted presents for families in need: “The goal was that women and their children could come to Santa’s Workshop to pick out presents for each other,” says Ania Kroman, an associate on PwC Canada’s Consulting & Deals team in Calgary. “It was a very rewarding experience, and the shelter’s employees seemed grateful for the help.”

For more information please visit PwC’s corporate responsibility initiatives information page.