In 2023, Brock Solutions entered a corporate team to the Waterloo 10 KM Classic. They had a lot of fun, raised a lot of money for charity, and did we mention that they also won the team competition!?
Well, they’re back this year – with a team in the 10k and a team in the 5k – so we made sure to catch up and asked them to share their experience!
The 2023 team: Jason Pei, Steve Walsh, Gregory Danayan, and Manpreet Kaur.
Tell us about your corporate social responsibility program!
Our CSR team (called BrockConnects) created this initiative in the hopes of furthering our philanthropic impact in the communities within which we live and work. Our goal is to strengthen our teams, create new traditions, and make a difference in much-needed community resources.
How did you get involved with the 10k race?
Each event is handled differently depending on the nature of philanthropic opportunity the employee is bringing forward. Essentially an employee comes to our CSR team with a fundraising event for a cause they are passionate about. We then help them with communications and support them in the background. Any employee is welcome to participate either as a team participant or a volunteer at the event.
Was there any training?
Each of our employees who attended the race does run on a regular basis. However, often our fundraising events have employees participating with a variety of skill levels, including those who have never tried the activity or sport involved. This gives our veteran athletes an opportunity to mentor those with less experience and further their connections.
How did the members enjoy it?
They all had a wonderful time! It was an incredible day spending time together as a team competing, raising money for a great cause, and starting a yearly tradition with the Waterloo Classic event.
“It was great to get out to the 2023 Waterloo Classic 10k on a gorgeous Sunday morning to run alongside fellow Brock and community runners, and even better to be a part of the team that led the fundraising and won the corporate division! I am coming back this year as it was awesome to see so many people come out to support the Athletics Development Fund at the University of Waterloo.”
Greg Danayan
“It was amazing to participate in the 2023 Waterloo Classic 10k. Running alongside my colleagues and members of the community was truly inspiring. Our team was proud to part of this meaningful event and we will be back again this year.”
Jason Pei
Did you ever realize you could WIN the event?
We enter every charity fundraising event with the same mentality – let’s make the biggest impact possible for the cause, have fun together, and do something to stay active. At the end of the day, if we can check those three boxes…we’ve considered the event a success.
What message can we share with other potential corporate teams?
One of the best strategic decisions we’ve made with our CSR program is to focus on team-based fundraising events. In taking this approach, it empowers our employees to rally together for a cause about which they are passionate. Together, we really are making a positive difference to the charities or causes that matter most to our employees and their families/friends. We can’t wait to see what the next year brings!
Brock Solutions, thank you so much for sharing your journey and for raising so much money for the Athletics Development Fund. We will see you next weekend!
