Contributing to the Community

Annual Christmas Giving: With donations from staff members and a company matching contribution, Polaris supports a number of local organizations doing good works in the community. From donating gifts, blankets, banners, aprons, and food supplies, to furnishing (and assembling!) lockers, we’re proud to support Meals on Wheels, Shepherd’s Table Soup Kitchen, and homeless families whose children attend Gillespie Park Elementary.

Polaris gives its peeps a paid Day of Service each year so employees can spend time volunteering to improve our communities. Some of our RTP-area folks spent their last service day at Note in the Pocket, an organization that makes sure impoverished and homeless children in Wake County have the clothing they need to go to school. We went through donations, folded and sorted items by size, function, and season. Kids in need are provided with 2 weeks’ worth of outfits, shoes, outerwear, and underwear so they can just go about the business of being school children. The team was so impressed with the organization's work and its mission that we've begun to collect donations and make purchases to help fill the shelves with the most empty space.
Pictured: Michele Commins, Jean Noblin, Kathy Dreyer, Diane Tilley, & Robyn White.

We were also pleased to be able to sponsor Note in the Pocket's annual Sock and Undie 5K Rundie in April 2020. (Naturally, it was a virtual event this year.) More than 700 runners from around the world helped the organization to reach its $100,000 goal. Polaris prez Celine Clive happily accepted a plaque of appreciation from Development Director Sarah Caldwell.

Have you heard of the Snowball Express? It’s an annual Walt Disney World event, sponsored by the Gary Sinise Foundation, for the children, spouses, and parents of our fallen military heroes. Last month, more than 1,750 Gold Star families attended, and Lauren Kelley was there helping out in the teen room, interacting, organizing, and making sure everyone was well-snacked. The holiday season can be especially tough for these families, and the Snowball Express gives them an opportunity to bond and make new memories with those who truly understand their loss.

Once a week, Laurie Meehan runs a Technology Help Desk at the community senior center in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Laurie helps members navigate the internet, organize files, work on photo projects, install and learn how to use new software, and troubleshoot those pesky glitches that torture computer users of all ages. Members of the center bring Laurie their smart phones, tablets, e-readers, and laptops to learn more about them and get them all working together. The members of the West Chester Senior Center are big fans of the “Bring Your Own Device” movement. #BYOD! (Photo Credit: Ray Doyle)

Rosanne Sylvia-Heeter and her husband Gary have volunteered at the Guilford Senior Center in Greensboro, NC since March 2009. Once a month, 60 to 80 seniors gather to enjoy an entertaining night of bingo that the couple organizes. Rosanne and Gary give each bingo night a theme, and provide snacks, prizes, and plenty of good cheer. (That’s not a figure of speech; there’s actual cheering!) Rosanne says they’ve all become great friends.

Project Heart assists students who are homeless or living in temporary housing situations and works to remove barriers these students face in achieving academic success. The assistance they provide includes everything from food to transportation to medical attention. This year, Karen Sargent and fellow members of the Order of the Eastern Star's Bradenton Chapter donated 100 school uniforms, 100 pairs of shoes, and over 800 items of clothing and personal hygiene products. Thanks to Karen and her OES chapter, some of Florida’s most at-risk children will get a new school uniform and comfortable shoes to start the new school year.

Karen Harrison serves on the Executive Committee of the Anglers of the Au Sable, whose mission is to preserve, protect and enhance the Au Sable River System in Michigan. This organization is recognized as one of the premier conservation organizations in Michigan. Karen is active in all of the organization’s activities including the annual river clean up and maintenance of the organization's website. She is also Chairperson of the Communication and Education Committee. Karen is also on the Executive Committee of the Au Sable River Watershed Council and has been instrumental in coordination of restoration and preservation activities tHR-Narrowoughout the watershed. She is the Fly Tyer Chair for the Great Lakes Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers annual Fly Tying Expo held every December in Holt, MI, which showcases the efforts of over 70 fly tyers.

David Preston and his wife Carol volunteer every week at the Orange Congregations in Mission (OCIM) food pantry in Hillsborough, NC. There, they fill and hand out orders, stock shelves, and maintain donation and distribution records. The only weeks that David and Carol don’t work at OCIM is when they’re enjoying time in Colorado…where they volunteer at the Durango Food Bank.

John Janeri spent more than a decade volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, helping to build homes for deserving families in the US, Nicaragua, and Honduras. He also served as House Leader organizing crews and teaching them construction techniques. John hopes to return to Habitat for Humanity in the near future.