Samsung’s 14th Annual Day of Service: Employees Unite Nationwide for Community Impact

Samsung employees across the U.S. joined forces for the 14th annual Samsung Gives Day of Service, marking the season of giving —a time when people come together in generosity and support for those in need—with a full day dedicated to hands-on community service. This year, we offered more than 2,000 opportunities for employees to be engaged in their communities, both in-person and virtually, partnering with over 50 nonprofit and education organizations. Employees brought Samsung’s global mission, Together for Tomorrow, Enabling People, to life through various service activities that focused on critical areas such as STEM education, sustainability, accessibility, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Samsung employees showed up en masse to serve not only in areas surrounding our offices and facilities in Ridgefield Park, NJ; Plano, TX; Mountain View, CA; Washington, D.C.; and New York City;, but also in states such as Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, and Tennessee. From major cities like Los Angeles to smaller communities across the country, our employees actively dedicated their time to making a meaningful difference.

KS Choi, President and CEO of Samsung Electronics North America, highlighted the importance of community involvement, stating, “We believe in investing in the communities where we live, work, and play because the stronger our communities are, the brighter our collective future becomes. By coming together in service, we can create lasting change and empower those around us.”

Highlights from the 2024 Day of Service

Among the many Day of Service initiatives, the following stand out. They reflect Samsung employees’ commitment to providing hands-on skills training that empower young people to explore innovative career paths, enhancing accessibility to build a more equitable future for everyone, and addressing food insecurity to ensure that no individual faces hunger while pursuing their education and aspirations.

nonPareil, Covenant House & Uplift Education: Samsung Care employees demonstrated mobile repair skills to crew members from nonPareil, a Texas-based nonprofit helping adults with autism progress towards independence through work readiness training, and young adults from Covenant House New Jersey, which is dedicated to addressing the complex problem of youth homelessness. Moreover, 30 high school students from Uplift Education, a free, public charter school network in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, visited Samsung’s Legacy Central office, where they experienced a  tour of our innovation center and repair vehicles. These hands-on experiences offered a glimpse into the future of work, while highlighting exciting opportunities for entrepreneurship and growth in the field of technology repair.

Flat Rock Brook: Samsung employees participated in constructing an accessibility trail at Flat Rock Brook, an urban nature preserve and environmental education center in Englewood, NJ. Samsung Electronics America’s Chief Marketing Officer, Allison Stransky, was present for this initiative, highlighting our devotion to accessibility for all – including in nature.

“Flat Rock Brook Nature Center is an amazing organization that is all about preserving nature, giving animals a sanctuary and making sure the community in the area has access to their 150-acre preserve and educational center. On Day of Service, a group of Samsung employees built an accessibility trail, so that persons with disabilities or families with strollers can enjoy the outdoors and everything that Flat Rock Brook has to offer,” said Allison.

Swipe Out Hunger and The Pack Shack: Swipe Out Hunger operates a network of pantries across colleges and universities to ensure no student has to choose between food and their education. Samsung employees participated in in-office packing events for essential kits in New Jersey and Kansas, and some even assisted on campus at Santa Monica Community College, where they helped stock pantry shelves to alleviate student food insecurities. More than 10,000 snack and hygiene items were donated to colleges and universities nationwide.  With The Pack Shack, over 23,000 meals were assembled and donated to Plano ISD to benefit children and families facing food insecurity.

Surfrider Foundation: Samsung employees in Bellevue, Washington teamed up with T-Mobile and the Surfrider Foundation Seattle chapter to clean up the beautiful Alki Beach. The team collected nearly 40 pounds of trash and five pounds of recyclable material.

Samsung employees teamed up with T-Mobile and the Surfrider Foundation Seattle chapter to clean up Alki Beach in Seattle, WA.

Empowering Change Through Inclusive Volunteerism

Samsung also continued its emphasis on inclusive volunteerism by involving its six Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)— UNIDOS, Pride, Galaxy of Black Professionals, Next Generation Leaders (NGL), Veterans Community, and Women in Samsung Electronics (WISE). These groups worked to integrate diverse nonprofit partners that they were passionate about into the Citizenship initiatives, helping to expand our community outreach and deepen community ties.

Notable ERG-led events included the NGL organizing a clean-up at Bonton Farms in Texas, where volunteers participated in tasks ranging from milking goats to planting seedlings. In New Jersey, NGL also hosted a litter clean-up with the Hackensack Riverkeeper. The UNIDOS ERG engaged with young minds at Mi Escuelita Pre-School through STEM activities in Texas, while WISE spent time serving at Oasis, a Haven for Women and Children, in Paterson, New Jersey. The Veteran’s ERG helped to clean up Veteran’s Memorial Park in Plano, Texas, and the PRIDE ERG supported The Resource Center in Dallas, Texas.

By the end of the 14^th annual Samsung Gives Day of Service, our employees had formed new friendships, strengthened community bonds, and made a lasting impact on organizations and the individuals they serve nationwide.