Fostering Teamwork: Cobalt’s Annual Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Project – Part 2

The end of August marked the close of this year’s Cobalt and Habitat for Humanity community project. With great efforts from Cobalt employees and Habitat team members, a four-family building has been completed with the second structure underway! Ultimately, the site will have three four-family buildings.

Promoting Teamwork
Cobalt counts the Habitat volunteer days as workdays, meaning employees can take a day off (not a sick or vacation day) in order to volunteer on the project and still get paid. One of the reasons why Cobalt encourages employees to volunteer for Habitat is because of the company’s strong emphasis on community, teamwork and the opportunity for employees to connect with Cobalt colleagues and the community at large.

“The work Habitat for Humanity does is really important; and it is something I believe in. I appreciate the fact that Cobalt makes this opportunity possible for us,” said Lyda Hawes, Manager of Dealer Advocate Services at Cobalt. “One of the things I valued most was being able to interact and work with people in other groups within Cobalt. I liked participating as a part of the company. We could do this on our own, but it is a great opportunity to volunteer with coworkers.”

“Sweat Equity”
An interesting aspect of Habitat for Humanity’s method is that all families are required to help build the home where they will be living. These work hours are commonly known as “sweat equity.” In the Seattle area, families with more than one adult must accrue a minimum of 500 hours. The goal is to help the future homeowners gain dignity, self-worth and a sense of ownership through their work alongside volunteers.

“This was my first time volunteering. It gave me an appreciation for the amount of work the families have to do in order to receive this housing opportunity. It was also great to be able to represent Cobalt in a positive way,” said Sarah Morrison, Executive Assistant to CEO. Morrison has also helped organized this community project for Cobalt for the past two years.

Helping the Community
One of the families that will be living in the building is a family of ten members, including one who is a stroke survivor. Cobalt employees worked collectively and with pride at being able to help in the efforts to build a home for families such as this one. Doing construction after being used to a desk job is no easy feat; however, Cobalt employees were willing to push aside their computers, roll up their sleeves and work as a team.

“It was cool to make a difference in somebody’s life. Cobalt has definitely inspired me to put in more days as a volunteer. I was always curious about volunteering for Habitat, but never gave myself the chance to try. It is good work to do and a nice change to be outside and work with your hands for awhile,” said Rich Stoehr, Interactive Marketing Manager.

Working Together
Cobalt employees often collaborate within their divisions and locations, but during the course of the project they all had a chance to team up with other employees who they may not interact with on a regular basis. Still, all employees on the project worked hard and worked together, creating a positive environment for themselves, their company and their community.

Alyse Speyer
Contributing Editor
The Cobalt Group
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