Here at Ready Logistics, we always remind each other that we are a part of something much bigger than just transportation logistics. We are backed by a hugely influential parent company, Cox Automotive, and with that we get to carry on their pillars of success and pass those values onto our employees. One of those pillars—one of Ready Logistics favorite pillars—is Community Relations. Our vision is to be a good corporate citizen and employer of choice by fostering a culture that enables and promotes community outreach that positively impacts the communities where we live, work, and play.
One of our yearly volunteering campaigns is called “No Excuses,” and it encourages every employee to get out into their communities and volunteer their time. The theme of the month revolves around the idea that throughout the year, you can find a million reasons to not participate in volunteerism, but at least, for the month of March, you are expected and encouraged to drop those excuses and get out to make a change.
Throughout March, the Community Relations lead here at Ready Logistics has laid out several opportunities for everyone to get involved. The month started out with volunteering at My Nana’s Salsa Challenge, a festival of salsa tasting that benefits the Arizona Hemophilia Association. Our volunteers handled various tasks such as collecting donations for the cause and working the admissions tent. The next event our volunteers participated in was serving up lunch for our local National Guard troops and their loved ones on their annual Family Day. A group of twelve volunteers worked diligently for five and half hours serving more than one thousand military reserve members and their families. The work was hard, hot, and left no room for slowing down, but being a part of that day was so rewarding.
Over the next couple weeks, we had two different groups volunteer at our local United Food Bank. One group took on the job of sorting hundreds of boxes of donated food into twenty-two different sections. The conveyor belt was whizzing as our speed and diligence were shining, sorting more than 10,317 pounds of food in just three hours. That amount of food will mean 8,597 meals for our community. Our other group was responsible for taking that sorted food and creating emergency meals for families that are going through a crisis. That group produced 11,817 pounds of food equaling 9,848 meals! The teamwork and communication that went into these events showcased how much Ready Logistics can achieve when we all are working toward a common goal.
The last two weekends of No Excuses we dedicated to the Arizona Special Olympics. One group woke up early and headed to Cardinals Stadium to set up a flag football tournament for special Olympians from all over the Valley. Watching these athletes compete was so heartwarming and fulfilling, the volunteering hours passed by rapidly.
Our last volunteering opportunities for all of No Excuses is playing a Unified Tournament with the friends and partners at the Special Olympics. Our Ready Logistics volunteers get to play alongside Special Olympic Athletes in fierce competitions such as bocce ball, soccer, corn hole, and flag-football. This event is so fun it hardly feels like volunteering at all!
At Ready Logistics, even though we are a national company, we highly value and feel responsible for giving back to our local communities. We wholeheartedly embrace Cox Automotive’s No Excuses campaign, and we feel lucky to have a parent company that focuses on developing their team members to be well-rounded individuals.