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At the heart of Cydcor’s culture is the tenet of “people helping people.” Cydcor stands behind this idea by fostering a work environment that promotes both personal and corporate philanthropy and by offering team members a paid volunteer day each year to serve a cause that matters to them. Our service mindset is grounded in the concept of servant leadership, which focuses on empowering and developing our people, building a better company, and giving back to the community.
One example of how we’ve put this mindset into practice is Cydcor’s Philanthropy Club, founded by team members to provide employees with corporate philanthropy and volunteering opportunities throughout the year. Here are just some of the ways Cydcor’s Philanthropy Club has made a meaningful impact on the community in 2019:
March: Pizza Sale — Liberty Children’s Home
Liberty Children’s Home is a sanctuary in Belize that offers a safe, loving environment to more than 40 abused, abandoned, and neglected children — some with special needs or suffering from HIV or AIDS. At a Leaders Meeting in March, team members sold Costco pizza with all proceeds donated to Liberty to support learning, activities, medical care, facility improvements, and basic needs like electricity, clothes, and food.
April: Crayfish Removal
Team members partnered with Mountains Restoration Trust to help preserve and protect the streams and creeks of the Malibu Creek Watershed by removing invasive, non-native crayfish. Harmful to the ecosystem of the Santa Monica Mountains, crayfish prey on native species, reduce water quality, and worsen creek bed erosion. Prior to our arrival, scientists set more than 100 traps along a stream bed in Oak Park. Cydcor volunteers removed crayfish caught in these traps and cleaned up trash along the banks. Additionally, they measured the size of caught crayfish to help record and collect data.
May: Special Olympics Regional Spring Games
Special Olympics of Southern California provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Philanthropy Club participants volunteered at the Ventura County Special Olympics Spring Games held at Oaks Christian Highschool, featuring swimming and flag football competitions. Responsibilities included coaching, time keeping, score keeping, and cheering in the stands to show Cydcor spirit and support for local athletes.
June: Heal the Bay
For 35 years, Heal the Bay has been mobilizing communities across Los Angeles to protect the California coastline, restore waterways, and advocate smart water policies. Cydcor volunteers gave time at a monthly Heal the Bay event to pick up trash along a Santa Monica beach. After a full morning of cleanup, the team enjoyed a group lunch in Venice, a popular beachfront community.
July: Learn Earn Return
Learn Earn Return is a nonprofit organization focused on providing students and teachers with the necessary school supplies for a successful school year. Team members collected and donated items that might otherwise have been a heavy financial burden to students and their families, such as backpacks, composition notebooks, wide-ruled paper, glut sticks, scissors, rulers, and more.
September: Operation Blankets of Love
The Philanthropy Club held a volunteer event for Operation Blankets of Love, a leading animal welfare and emergency relief nonprofit organization that provides food and critical supplies for more than 12,000 animals a year in shelters, in rescue groups, and with pet owners experiencing homelessness or another hardship. Cydcor volunteers collected blankets, towels, toys, and other badly needed pet supplies donated during the event.
September: Pet Adoptions
Team members partnered with L.I.F.E. Animal Rescue, a nonprofit organization that rescues homeless or abandoned dogs and cats and places them in permanent, responsible, and loving homes. Cydcor volunteers supported L.I.F.E.’s weekly animal adoption event at a local PetSmart to help pets find their forever home.
October: Alzheimer’s 5K
Team members joined their local Walk to End Alzheimer’s® 5K, an Alzheimer Association event held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support, and research. Participants walking in the Westlake Village, California 5K surpassed their goal of $500 by raising $1,788. Cydcor matched donations of $500.
November: EARTHS Thanksgiving Food Drive
Cydcor volunteers supported the annual Thanksgiving Food Drive of the Environmental Academy of Research Technology and Earth Sciences (EARTHS) Magnet School in Newbury Park, California. Individual and department donations provided holiday favorites, canned food staples, and grocery gift cards to help 100 local families in need enjoy a Thanksgiving meal.
The contributions of Cydcor’s Philanthropy Club show the positive difference that employee-driven corporate philanthropy and volunteering can make on our schools, neighborhoods, and charities. Through community service, our team members embody Cydcor’s culture of “people helping people” by uniting behind a shared purpose, collaborating to overcome challenges and accomplish goals, and serving causes that matter.
Cydcor is thrilled to announce that our 2018, annual Day of Smiles fundraising event is underway! This week, Cydcor team members, along with volunteers from Cydcor's network of independent sales companies will stage a variety of fundraisers around the country. Teams will put their sales talents to work, building awareness and raising funds on behalf of Operation Smile. One of the oldest and largest volunteer-based organizations dedicated to improving the health and lives of children worldwide, through access to surgical care, Operation Smile provides life-changing cleft lip and palate corrective surgeries at no cost, to children in need.
Teams participating in the event will get creative, planning fundraisers that vary from car washes and apparel sales, to bake sales and sporting events. Each year, Cydcor's Day of Smiles event brings in thousands of dollars to support Operation Smile's mission to ensure every child has access to safe surgical care. In addition, Cydcor team members and participants from the network of independent sales companies have had the opportunity to attend five Operation Smile medical missions around the globe that they themselves have helped fund through their outreach efforts. On Operation Smile medical missions, surgical teams comprised of credentialed medical volunteers provide life-changing surgeries for children with cleft lip and cleft palate, as well as free medical assessments, and support for family and loved ones of patients. Recently, Operation Smile’s founder, Dr. Magee personally thanked Cydcor for its ongoing contribution.
Cydcor has been partnering with Operation Smile since 2010, collaborating with the sales company owners in Cydcor’s network in a variety of fundraising projects. To date, Cydcor has raised nearly $1,000,000, to help Operation Smile ensure no child goes without surgical care. That’s enough to heal more than 4,000 smiles. This is an important year for Cydcor’s Day of Smiles, as we have that $1,000,000 mark in our sights and we plan to hit our goal!
We are a people helping people business. In the fast-paced world of sales, marketing, and entrepreneurship, we know that we succeed when our people do. They are the future of our business, and that’s why every aspect of our workplace culture is designed to help people succeed and achieve their goals. We achieve this by offering unique opportunities such as professional development trainings and conferences, giving back to local and global communities, and much more. Are you ready to write your own story? Learn more about our employee culture and why Cydcor is the right fit for you!
We know that growing your career takes learning new skills, overcoming obstacles, and taking challenges head on. That’s why Cydcor has an open-door policy, so our team members have face-to-face access to leaders across the company who are invested in helping them succeed. Our people-focused culture encourages open communication and collaboration; not only to share ideas and perspectives about business goals, but also to support each other. Cydcor is not a bureaucracy; our team members collaborate—across multiple levels—to solve business challenges and inspire each other to succeed because everyone has an important role to play.
In the spirit of people helping people, our culture includes a dedication to giving back. Globally, Cydcor volunteers time and talent, and raises funds for Operation Smile, which provides children in developing nations free, life-changing cleft lip and palate surgeries. Locally, Cydcor provides team members with paid volunteer hours and partners with local organizations to improve the communities in which we work and live. We do this with a sense of social responsibility, because we value making positive impacts that are bigger than ourselves. Just as our success as a company is strengthened by the success of our people, we as a community grow stronger when members of the community feel supported and free to thrive.
With over 25 years of sales and customer acquisition experience, we understand the effort it takes to see goals through because everyone, from entry-level team members to senior leadership, has a gusto for getting results. Cydcor fosters a workplace culture where dedication and hard work are appreciated and rewarded, and we celebrate team members who aggressively pursue where they’ll be tomorrow by impacting what they do today. At Cydcor, we don’t give up, and we don’t make excuses. We see it through to the goal line, because we stand by our commitments.
Our workplace culture grows unstoppable leaders, because at Cydcor, we build on team members strengths and provide them with the training and support they need to overcome weaknesses. We believe in maintaining a student mentality at all times and that learning should be an ongoing process for everyone from the entry level to the C-suite.
We include integrity in our workplace culture because it’s a word we live by. Integrity means knowing what is right and having the guts to do it. At Cydcor, we do what is right, not what is easy, and when we say we are going to do something, we do it well. Results matter, but how those results were attained matters just as much.
Cydcor aggressively seeks to improve today by creating new opportunities for a better tomorrow. We know the best solutions to business problems are found with the team members who tackle them, and we’re not afraid to challenge our assumptions and look for new approaches. So we work together to embrace obstacles and relentlessly push through them to bring innovative solutions to life for our teams and clients.
Cydcor thrives because of the high value we place on our team members. Cydcor culture is one that provides an opportunity to believe in each other as well as our shared goals. It is a place where we believe that hard work, collaboration, and dedication can produce remarkable results. Team members grow professionally, give back to the community, and flex their people skills, while knowing that they belong to an organization that is committed to their personal success as well as that of the company. For more information, contact us today.
On March 8th, 2017, a team of eight volunteers, including top fundraisers from our network of independent sales offices, as well as a Cydcor team member, returned home from their life-changing medical volunteer trip to Guadalajara, Mexico. There, they worked alongside a dedicated Operation Smile team of volunteers for an adventure they will never forget. While on the mission, volunteers Amanda Tram, Ben Gouwens, David Espinal, Donny Boyer, Melissa White, Mouad Alami, Sandra Tejada, and Yesi Andrade assisted the Operation Smile medical team by attending patient screenings, escorting patients to their surgeries, entertaining children and their families as they wait for their procedures, and reuniting families with their children post-op.
While these much-needed surgeries can transform the lives of children who may not have been able to eat or speak properly prior to having the procedure, or who do not attend school for of fear of being teased, participating in the medical missions and witnessing children’s emotional journeys can often have a profound effect on the volunteers as well.
“There is one moment of the volunteer trip that will be etched in my mind forever. Alejandra, the little girl we fell in love with, had a pretty severe cleft lip and was very aware of how she looked, despite being an extremely happy child. When she came out of surgery, I used my phone to show her what she looked like. She stared at herself for a couple seconds as if she didn’t recognize herself, until she gave the sweetest smile I have ever seen. My heart melted. The trajectory of her life at that moment was changed forever!” said Melissa White.
“I am impressed by the courage and strength these kids have. I was very touched by Paulina, an 11-year-old who traveled with her brother from far away in hopes of getting the surgery that would restore her smile. I can't imagine everything going through Paulina's head; first time out of her village, seeing a big city for the first time, not being able to understand anyone but her brother. The most incredible moment was seeing her look at herself for the first time. She was in shock, almost confused. A few minutes later, you could see tears rolling down her cheeks. I could not stop crying, I will remember that moment forever,” shared Cydcor team member Yesi Andrade.
In addition to our corporate volunteer program, Cydcor has been partnering with Operation Smile on fundraising initiatives since 2010. Cydcor holds an annual Day of Smiles event, along with many other fundraising events throughout the year, to help provide free cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries for children from low and middle income countries. With the support of more than 3,000 dedicated volunteers from our network of more than 375 independent sales offices, we have raised more than $800,000 to date. That’s enough to bring smiles to the faces of nearly 3,500 children.
Operation Smile’s vision of a world where no child suffers from lack of access to safe, well timed, and effective surgery fits well with the values of our business.
“We are a people helping people business, and it is evident from the way Operation Smile treats their patients, the community, and their volunteers that they are as well,” said Donny Boyer.
Cydcor CEO, Gary Polson explains the immense value of lending our support to great causes like Operation Smile. “We can achieve the great lives we aspire to live, by taking actions that improve the lives of others. We must be compassionate and help those in need. We must take initiative to help others beat the odds. We must act with humility and set the example. Our business gives us countless opportunities to help other people. I am so proud of who we are and what we accomplish together. We become great when we do great things, especially when we do them for others."
“What unites us all is the shared belief that we have an obligation to provide people with an opportunity to lead a better life. This extends far beyond the boundaries of our business, to helping people in our communities and in faraway places.” Said Cydcor President, Vera Quinn.
Cydcor continues our commitment to helping Operation Smile change lives through both our corporate volunteer program and fundraising efforts, and we look forward to achieving $1 million dollars raised on the organization’s behalf.
To learn more about Cydcor and our support of Operation Smile, please visit our donation home page.
Operation Smile is an international medical charity that has provided hundreds of thousands of free surgeries for children and young adults in developing countries who are born with cleft lip, cleft palate or other facial deformities. It is one of the oldest and largest volunteer-based organizations dedicated to improving the health and lives of children worldwide through access to surgical care. Since 1982, Operation Smile has developed expertise in mobilizing volunteer medical teams to conduct surgical missions in resource-poor environments while adhering to the highest standards of care and safety. Operation Smile helps to fill the gap in providing access to safe, well-timed surgeries by partnering with hospitals, governments and ministries of health, training local medical personnel, and donating much-needed supplies and equipment to surgical sites around the world. Founded and based in Virginia, U.S., Operation Smile has extended its global reach to more than 60 countries through its network of credentialed surgeons, pediatricians, doctors, nurses, and student volunteers. For more information, visit www.operationsmile.org.
The evening of May 12th, everyone was smiling at Cipriani’s in Midtown Manhattan—the destination of Operation Smile’s New York Gala. Cydcor joined Operation Smile and their supporters to celebrate amazing medical missions that brought life-changing care to those suffering from cleft palates and other facial malformations.
Cydcor has partnered with Operation Smile for six years already, each year raising funds and awareness to help children facing difficulties from having facial problems. "At Cydcor, we can't imagine a day without a smile—it is that immediate connection with people—and we are humbled to help make smiles possible through the work of Operation Smile," said Cydcor President Vera Quinn.
At the New York Smile event, actress Kate Hudson was presented with the Universal Smile Award for her volunteer efforts to improve the lives of those in need and for providing an inspiring example of outstanding leadership. Other prominent guests at the event included Jaimie Alexander, Oliver Platt, Diego Klattenhofff, Colin Donnell, and Jason Weinberg. “It was an inspiring experience for the Cydcor team to be among these highly recognized celebrities making this event even more special.” Manilynn Disuanco, Cydcor’s red carpet correspondent during the Smile Event shared, “Meeting Kate Hudson was really cool!” But, for her, the real celebrities were some of the award winners being recognized for their outstanding contributions. “I really enjoyed hearing Andrew Dolce, 2016 John Connor Humanitarian Award winner speak. He brought his grandchildren on stage with him. His family joined him on his medical mission trips to Nicaragua. His example has inspired me to get more of our Cydcor family inspired and hopefully get my family involved, too!”
Volunteering to raise funds for Operation Smile gives those involved an opportunity to share a rewarding activity with their families and coworkers. Chris Minger, President of Philiadelphia Elite Group, Inc., said that the Cipriani event reaffirmed his commitment to this volunteer effort. He explained, “What was most enlightening to me was hearing about how other Operation Smile supporters had been able to involve business and family networks to help this cause. Volunteers are doubly blessed. We can raise money and build bonds between our family members, friends, and coworkers. Volunteering for Operation Smile is a win-win situation for everyone involved—the volunteers, the organization, and, most importantly, the families we serve.”
Cydcor’s Chief Information Officer, Dwight Coates, walked the red carpet at the Operation Smile Gala as well. He mentioned he was moved by the passion that fuels Cydcor’s volunteers. “Not only was the Cipriani event beautiful, but the passion and desire to help others was as beautiful as the space itself. People helping others, especially children—there is no better way to help and give back,” he said.
Over the last year, Cydcor volunteers around the country held fundraising events to raise money for Operation Smile’s medical missions. Top fundraisers from Cydcor were recognized with an invitation to join a medical mission to Bolivia in March 2016. This trip gave operations to 134 people in need, with 180 total procedures performed.
Earlier this year, Cydcor also supported a mission to the Dominican Republic, adding to the list of medical missions Cydcor and Operation Smile have worked on together, including Guatemala (2014), Mexico (2014), and Brazil (2012).
The Cipriani Operation Smile Gala highlights the fundraising efforts and medical missions performed by Cydcor volunteers. Mouad Alami, from Cydcor Canada, had a profound personal moment while attending the gala. “I felt emotional when I saw a video at Cipriani. One of Operation Smile’s missions took place in Morocco—where I was born! I felt grateful to everyone who donates for great causes like this one. Operation Smile knows no boundaries for their humanitarian work,” he said.
Cydcor's fundraising totals for Operation Smile have been primarily achieved through the annual Day of Smiles fundraising event, which includes a variety of fundraising efforts across the US, Canada, and the UK. Cydcor hopes to hit the $1 million fundraising milestone by the end of 2016.
“There is nothing more precious than the life of a child,” said Kimberly Mendoza, one of Cydcor’s top fundraisers who attended the Operation Smile event. “You can make a huge difference in these children’s lives by donating, coming up with different fundraising ideas, or even just getting the word out about Operation Smile and the incredible work they do.”
The Operation Smile event in New York was an eye opening experience for the Cydcor team where they got to see the impact their fundraising efforts make in saving children’s lives. The team is excited to contribute even more during the upcoming Day of Smiles fundraising event. To help support Cydcor's fundraising efforts for Operation Smile, visit https://www.operationsmile.org/. Donations are welcomed.
Learn more about Cydcor on Facebook and Twitter, and on the Cydcor blog.
About Cydcor
Cydcor is the leading provider of outsourced, face-to-face sales teams to a diverse client base of companies in a wide range of industries, including telecommunications, office products, retail, energy, and financial services. Serving Fortune 500 and emerging market clients in the business-to-business, residential, and retail channels through in-store marketing initiatives, Cydcor works with a network of more than 350 independently owned corporate licensee (ICL) sales offices, providing clients access to more than 4,600 sales professionals. The privately held company is based in Agoura Hills, California. For more information about Cydcor, go to www.cydcor.com.
Cydcor recently participated in two community outreach programs that we were proud to be a part of: Habitat for Humanity and a volunteering project coinciding with Earth Day at the LA Food Bank!
A group of 18 Cydcor volunteers joined Habitat for Humanity to help build homes for the local veteran community. Volunteers rolled up their sleeves and got to work building homes for people in need. Together with Habitat for Humanity, Cydcor team members were able to get 10 homes ready for inspection.
Team-building was essential for this effort, as Habitat for Humanity welcomes skilled and unskilled workers to join on-site construction teams. Cydcor volunteers showed up to the challenge with their willingness to learn and work hard, while Habitat for Humanity provided all of the tools and safety equipment, needed to get the job done.
“It was definitely gratifying, walking away at the end of the day and seeing what we accomplished as a team. I wasn’t sure we could make a difference, but we certainly did,” said Rosy, an executive assistant at Cydcor.
Many of Cydcor’s teams took part in the day, including Cydcor’s CFO, Ron Nathanson, and the Cydcor finance team. These volunteers were more than happy to come together to help a great cause, as well as improve on their team-building skills.
Cydcor’s Information Technology (IT) department also recently got to work for the local community, volunteering on Earth Day by working at the LA Food Bank.
The Cydcor team put together food packets for low-income families, assembled backpacks of food for children who may go hungry otherwise, and provided essential services to senior citizens in Los Angeles who are unable to afford their next meal.
Coming together to help this cause also allowed Cydcor members to get to know each other better and got the team excited to work for their community.
Dwight Coates, Cydcor’s Chief Information Officer, reported that Cydcor volunteers put together over 900 care packets for senior citizens on fixed incomes who often have disabilities that adversely impact their health and finances. Sometimes they have to make the impossible choice between paying for medical care or getting a meal.
“I have worked with the LA Food Bank for the past 6 years and thought, what a great way for our people to help those who need help the most,” said Dwight Coates. “By each team member having a unique and often time-sensitive task on the conveyor line, we each depended on each other for our deliverable of reaching over 750 bags in the morning time. Due to our teamwork, we packed over 900 bags for distribution.”
Education is an important part of the volunteer experience. By participating in volunteer programs, Cydcor employees and sales associates develop an understanding of the problems impacting their communities. The volunteers learned that over 1.4 million people in Los Angeles County are food insecure, meaning that they don’t know where their next meal will come from.
Cydcor is thankful and proud of the great work done by our volunteers, and we look forward to the next project we take on to help our local community!
Cydcor has funded another medical mission through Operation Smile, this time taking place in Bolivia. Cydcor volunteers will be assisting the Operation Smile team during the medical mission which will provide cleft palate surgeries for children in need.
With the help of fundraising volunteers across the country, last June Cydcor raised more than $150,000 during the “Day of Smiles” fundraiser. As a result of the money raised, Cydcor was able to fund two medical missions- this one taking place in Bolivia and another one where the location is yet to be determined in Spring 2016.
This isn’t the first time that Cydcor has funded an Operation Smile medical mission trip. In early June 2012, Cydcor volunteers traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to change the lives of children in need. In early 2014, Cydcor volunteers traveled to traveled to San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico and were able to help provide many surgeries with the money raised through Operation Smile fundraisers. Finally in November 2014, Cydcor joined Operation Smile on a medical mission to Guatemala. Overall, Cydcor has raised more than $850,000 to sponsor these life-saving medical missions.
Each mission sends doctors, volunteers, and equipment to an area with limited healthcare access and provides screenings and surgeries for children. Cleft palates often result in complications to eating, drinking, speaking and even breathing. Many infants do not survive this condition if left untreated. Operation Smile and Cydcor hope to restore many smiles around the world and give these children a chance to thrive.
This year, six Cydcor volunteers who made outstanding fundraising efforts were recognized with the special honor of assisting the medical teams and families in Bolivia. They arrived on March 9th and will be there until the 16th of March.
A very rewarding aspect of assisting on these missions is having the chance to spend time with the families of the children undergoing surgery. Cydcor volunteers also help conduct screenings, entertain the children while they wait for surgery, and provide support and comfort to families throughout the process. Their contribution is very emotionally demanding but a very rewarding experience overall.
Cydcor is proud of its partnership with Operation Smile and the success of the Day of Smiles fundraising campaign. The donations raised through this campaign will allow more less-fortunate children access to medical care.
Thank you to everyone in the organization who worked so hard on the fundraisers. Let’s continue changing lives once smile at a time!
You can make a donation to Cydcor’s Operation Smile campaign today and support this great cause!
Follow Cydcor on Facebook and YouTube for updates about our company and the latest news about our 2016 medical mission with Operation Smile.
We are Cydcor, the recognized leader in outsourced sales services. From our humble beginnings as an independent sales company based in Canada to garnering a reputation as the global leader in outsourced sales, Cydcor has come a long way. We’ve done this by having exceptional sales professionals and providing our clients with proven sales and marketing strategies that get results.
Once again this year, Cydcor team members organized a Thanksgiving Food Drive where several Cydcor employees donated and delivered food to families in need.
Cydcor’s Thanksgiving Food Drive was organized to benefit Earths Magnet Elementary School in Newbury Park, CA. The National Wildlife Federation Fund has recognized this school as one of the Top 10 Eco-Schools in the country, meaning that it uses environmental education as a platform for teaching students about technology, engineering, and math. Students learn the importance of creating sustainable businesses. Working with the support of the school, Cydcor encourages community sustainability with this annual food drive. Being able to provide families in need with a Thanksgiving dinner year-after-year allows the Cydcor team to support people in a meaningful way.
Cydcor employees readily volunteer because they’re organized, skilled at getting things done, and ready to take on any opportunity they meet—especially if it’s one that helps struggling families and strengthens community connections.
“It is amazing to see a group of people come together and be so passionate about helping others in need. Holidays are about spending time with loved ones, and I am happy we can contribute and make a difference for these families,” explained one Cydcor volunteer.
Many Cydcor employees donated food and raised enough money to provide meals for 90 families. In addition, Cydcor’s executive team donated a total of $1,800 through payroll deductions, which allowed the organizers to purchase $20 Vons gift cards for each family.
Cydcor has taken the time to examine the true meaning of Thanksgiving bounty and thankfulness. The annual Thanksgiving Food Drive expresses the company’s core values and commitment to caring for community members suffering difficult times. Cydcor continues its tradition of nurturing the community and turning need into an opportunity—so that families in need can see a future that is just a little bit brighter.
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