Workplace corporate citizenship is typically a silent and unpublicized function — an ongoing part of daily routine instead of a public announcement. Many times, it is developed from a shared emotion before becoming a larger entity or plan. Recently, Dickinson Renewable’s employee-driven initiative was created from a similar sense of shared emotion and was expanded to a much greater scope beyond the workplace.
Dickinson Renewable has a new team with a community focus
Employees at Dickinson Renewable decided to create a community project to assist United States military personnel who have been deployed overseas. Dickinson Renewable employees based in North Dakota wanted to do something to express gratitude to the military personnel and their families who are separated for months while they serve our country.
The Dickinson Renewable community project was created by employees of the North Dakota facility and was presented as a community-based, hands-on project. Dickinson Renewable employees contributed their time to coordinate the logistics of the community project and assembled care packages that would provide some sense of connection and normalcy to military personnel serving overseas.
Instead of focusing on the size of the initiative, Dickinson Renewable employees focused on the intent behind it. This served as a reminder that meaningful community projects can be created without formal structure.
Dickson is creating action from intention with this project
The community project at Dickinson Renewable consisted of collecting and packaging a list of “everyday” items requested by deployed military personnel, such as personal hygiene products, snacks, and handwritten letters. These were simple comforts that would go a long way in bringing a sense of comfort to military personnel who are thousands of miles from home.
Dickinson Renewable employees participated in the community project in a variety of ways, including providing materials, assisting in assembling the care packages, and writing heartfelt messages to be placed inside the packages. In doing so, the community project helped to create a common goal and break up the daily routine for the employees at Dickinson Renewable.
Many employees stated that the experience of participating in the community project was just as important as the end result. Through this project, employees at Dickinson Renewable were able to learn more about the sacrifices being made by the military families and participate in a direct and personal way to help those families.
Why are these efforts by the company meaningful?
Community initiatives like this one typically resonate with individuals and groups because they are authentic. There was no instant business-related reason to participate in the initiative, nor was there a measurable operational outcome.
The value of Dickinson Renewable’s participation in the community project lay in the fact that it was done voluntarily by employees and reflected a sense of compassion and understanding for the challenges faced by deployed military personnel and their families. This type of community involvement also aligns with Marathon Petroleum’s broader emphasis on community involvement across its renewable operations. Marathon Petroleum encourages local teams to identify causes that are important to them and to develop responses that are relevant to their community.
In areas where facilities are closely connected to a sense of local identity, these types of gestures are helpful in establishing and maintaining trust and shared values between employees and their neighbors, as well as the organization they work for.
The connection beyond the workplace
Although the care packages ultimately will be sent to locations that are remote from Dickinson Renewable, the impact of the community project still remains very close to home. The initiative provided employees at Dickinson Renewable with a sense of camaraderie and demonstrated how collective efforts can help to bridge physical and emotional distances. It is rare for support for deployed military personnel to come in large gestures. More often than not, it occurs through smaller, thoughtful actions taken by individuals and groups who truly care.
