Community Involvement
We Vow to Make a Global Impact
Building and sustaining communities together, lending a helping hand when it's needed. Through shared commitment and knowledge with our community partners, we can achieve uncommon things, together. Geographic Solutions is committed to building strong and vibrant communities, both locally and abroad, improving quality of life, and making a positive difference.
Treasures of Africa
A project near and dear to our hearts is the Treasures of Africa Children’s Home in Tanzania. The Home provides loving care, nutritious food, and education in a Christian family environment for orphaned and abandoned children. The home was opened in 2007, in direct response to the high incidence of AIDS and orphaned children in the nation of Tanzania. UNICEF currently estimates the number of orphans within Tanzania to be over 2 Million.
Geographic Solutions regularly sponsors the home through fundraising events and collection efforts. Staff members have donated clothing, shoes and medical supplies to be shipped to the orphanage. We also purchased two German shepherd guard dogs, which were appropriately named ‘Kili and Geo’. Monetary contributions cover the monthly rent and utilities at the home. To give the children an interactive technology experience, our employees constructed the home’s first computer lab with computers donated by Geographic Solutions. To help with the transit of the children, Geographic Solutions acquired a brand new Toyota minivan.
The future plans for the Treasures of Africa orphanage are as bright as the children who live there. Anticipated growth has led to the need for a bigger facility with a protective fence. The long-term goal of the children’s home is to one day be completely self-sufficient. The new facility will have livestock for food sources, a clean water supply and will be built with self- made interlocking bricks. This year, Geographic Solutions will purchase and donate a hydra-form interlocking brick-making machine which will allow the home to make their own bricks, as well as produce bricks to sell to the public. This will not only cut down on building costs, but it will also serve as an income-generator for the facility.
Geographic Solutions raised over $20,000 in donations by sending Paul Toomey and Deane Toler on a strenuous fundraising activity - climbing Mt Kilimanjaro (http://www.climbingkiliforacause.com/theclimb). Paul and Deane also cycled coast-to-coast across Northern England and raised more than $10,000 in donations (http://www.geographicsolutions.com/coasttocoast).The most recent ‘Cycle for Cause’ was a 4 day, 274 mile trek starting in London and ending in Paris. This trek also included Programmer/Analyst-Marc Anoil. The 2012 ‘L2P’ fundraising event raised over $21,000 to benefit the orphanage’s goal to purchase property in order to build a larger facility. To read more on the team’s travels, visit: www.geographicsolutions.com/london2paris. www.TreasuresofAfrica.org
Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge
Nothing less than heroes, the men and women of our nations military forces travel abroad to serve and protect. Staring danger right in the eyes, they do not shy away from the sword, and so many times, return home wounded. The Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge focuses on the rehabilitation of our returning heroes experiencing physical and psychological injuries by involving them in Challenge expeditions designed to address their specific injuries or condition. Climbing Mt. Kilimarjaro is their next expedition. The team will be tracking and testing the mechanical and non-mechanical qualities of those team members who are physically compromised to help to evaluate their prosthetic devices and enable clinical providers to further improve performance and functionality of these prosthetics based on field research and scientific application.
Geographic Solutions support site. VeteranChallenge
www.combatwounded.org
Pasco Pediatric Foundation - Annual Filthy Fun Run
The Pasco Pediatric Foundation'smission is to raise and distribute funds to children andyoung adultswho need assistance with medical, emotional, physical, and education needs not otherwise met by existing federal, state, and local servicesand organizations in Pasco County, FL. 
Employees from Geographic Solutions participate annually in a 5k Mud Run in November, which benefits the Pasco Pediatric Foundation.
www.pascokids.org/wsd
HandsOn Tampa Bay (HOT)
HandsOn Tampa Bay is the Tampa Bay area's premier platform for volunteering and community service. An initiative of the United Way of Tampa Bay, HOT helps build a strong, caring community by mobilizing volunteers to engage in meaningful service projects across Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties. HandsOn Tampa Bay offers a wide variety of fun, flexible, hands-on projects every month with a variety of organizations. Geographic Solutions employees who have completed the HOT orientation course can sign up at their leisure for one-time, short-term projects.
www.volunteertampabay.com
American Cancer Society's Relay for Life
Relay For Life is a fun-filled overnight event designed to celebrate survivorship and raise money for research and programs of your American Cancer Society. During the event, teams of people gather at schools, fairgrounds, or parks and take turns walking or running laps. Each team tries to keep at least one team member on the track at all times.
www.cancer.org
Muscular Dystrophy Association
Since its founding in 1950, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) has become one of the nation's largest and best-known voluntary health agencies. MDA provides comprehensive medical services to tens of thousands of people with neuromuscular diseases at some 215 hospital-affiliated clinics across the country. The Association's worldwide research program, which funds some 400 individual scientific investigations annually, represents the largest single effort to advance knowledge of neuromuscular diseases and to find cures and treatments for them.
www.mda.org
Employees from Geographic Solutions participated in the 2012 Muscle Walk on March 3, 2012 which benefits MDA and local families.
walk.mda.org
Susan G Komen®
Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, the global leader of the breast cancer movement, having invested more than $1 Billion since inception in 1982. As the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists, they're working together to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. The organization is the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world.
ww5.komen.org
Boy Scout Troop #26 Downtown Palm Harbor
We enjoy our office location in the historic Palm Harbor neighborhood and make a conscious effort to be good neighbors. Three Geographic Solutions employees, Jennifer Keller-Hounshell, Hallie Leverich-Purvis, and Michelle Parks decided to organize the collection of aluminum cans at all company functions and donate them to the local Boy Scout Troop #26, headquartered in historic downtown Palm Harbor.
www.troop26.us
Brandon Foundation
The Foundation Angel Program has been established to help families in the Greater Brandon, FL community who have a family member suffering from the effects of a life threatening disease or catastrophic event. Money isn't the only thing that individuals may need during this emotional time. They may also have some practical needs that can be met by individuals. Our program matches individuals and families with resources that are available within our community. For example, a lawn care company could mow the lawn of a patient receiving chemotherapy or a restaurant could provide a gift certificate for a patient or caregiver. These businesses receive a Foundation Angel decal that could be displayed to show that they are a "Foundation Angel" and that they care about others in the community.
www.brandonfoundation.com
Boys and Girls Club (Monterey County)
In an effort to serve their local community, the Salinas office adopted a child through the Boys and Girls club of Monterey County. This year Geographic Solutions’ employees were able to fulfill the wishes of an 8 year old boy, providing clothes and toys to make his holiday special.
www.bgcmc.org
Metropolitan Ministries
The entire Geographic Solutions’ Project Management team orchestrated a holiday food drive that collected over 479 pounds of much-needed food and supplies that they were able to donate to Metropolitan Ministries on both Thanksgiving and Christmas. They also collected $100.00 in cash donations. Metropolitan Ministries is a non-profit organization based in the Tampa Bay area. The organization provides people with food, clothing, shelter and other vital services.
www.metromin.org
The Haven
Every holiday season, Geographic Solutions adopts a family through an organization called The Haven and collects gifts for them. Each year, we are able to fulfill the wish list for the family and also contribute cash, gift cards and toys for additional children at the Haven. The Haven’s mission it to provide safety, support and education
for victims of domestic violence and their children.
www.rcspinellas.org
Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation
Through the organization of former Marine Tim Himes, our own Geographic Solutions' Operations Manager, Geographic Solutions regularly donates to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation. The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation's mission is to provide scholarships for higher education to the sons and daughters of Marines and former Marines, with particular attention being given to children whose parent was killed or wounded in action. Since 1962, they have awarded more than 30,000 scholarships and bonds totaling more than $70 Million.
www.mcsf.com
Palm Harbor Fire Rescue - 9/11 Memorial
Another one of our downtown Palm Harbor neighbors, the Palm Harbor Fire Rescue department decided to commemorate the 343 firefighters who lost their lives in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Geographic Solutions was honored to provide a donation in memory of two of the fallen firefighters who had been childhood friends of some of our employees. The monument was officially unveiled on September 11, 2012.
www.palmharborfd.com
Geographic Solutions also provides funding, materials and time to the following charities:
American Legion Post #21
Catholic Charities.
We are proud to contribute to building strong and vibrant communities, improving the quality of life, and making a positive difference. Our employees are always looking for organizations to partner with and ways to provide assistance. If you know of an organization or a project that could use some helping hands, contact Hallie Leverich, Marketing Coordinator at HLeverich@geosolinc.com.
