KXAN Austin | 09/05/24
SabeyServes: Giving Back to the Community You’re In
As an organization, Sabey Data Centers believes in being a part of and serving the communities where we operate. Whether it’s putting together food drives, investing in local schools and educational efforts or restoring salmon populations, we see service as an essential part of our identity and the way we conduct business.
As construction comes together for Sabey’s newest data center campus in Round Rock, Texas (in the Austin area) our team has looked for ways to get involved in the community. In April, the team learned about an organization whose mission aligned with our values: the Texas Baptist Children’s Home.
Operational for over 70 years, the Texas Baptist Children’s Home offers shelter, support and stability for children, single mothers and youth who have aged out of foster care. The Children’s Home’s is more than an organization, it is a home for many who don’t have anywhere else to go.
This cause resonated with Jon Hunter, SDC Austin Project Manager, and Mark Noonan, Senior VP- East.
The pair toured the charitable organization’s campus, taking a look at their grounds, food pantry and boutique for women and children in need. Jon and Mark knew that the pooled time and resources of the Sabey team, as well as all the subcontractors working on SDC Austin, could make a real impact on the Children’s Home.
They decided to hold a food and goods drive. To make this effort more compelling, they decided to turn the drive into a competition. The Sabey employees would be pitted against the subcontractors working on the SDC Austin project, racing to collect the most foodstuffs and provisions for the pantry and boutique. A pizza party hung in the balance.
Reimagining the food drive as a friendly competition infused the effort with enthusiasm and excitement, leading to a wildly successful outcome. By the time the dust settled, the SDC Austin team had amassed 1,382 pantry items, $200 in gift cards and three boxes of new women’s clothes; counting the items and preparing the donation took the better part of a day.
Later, several Sabey team members spent a few hours volunteering at the Children’s Home. They tore out an old garden that was falling apart and overgrown. The garden was not only an eye sore, but a potential hazard with rotted boards, rusted metal and ample hiding room for unwelcome snakes. The team continued with their work, weeding all over the grounds, beautifying and making the Home that much more inviting.
This was a great team-building experience for Sabey and the beginning of what will surely be a rich relationship with the Texas Baptist Children’s Home.
Sabey is committed to giving back to the communities that welcome us. Please reach out to us with any ideas on how we can get involved in your community!