Community Outreach
Special Olympics 2010
Employees and Family members from Tara
volunteered to assist with the 43rd Special Olympics at Milton
Frank Stadium, in Huntsville, on Oct 19.
They joined 930 other volunteers in assiting over
400 special-needs athletes of Madison County compete in events such
as a 50-meter run, a long jump, a softball throw, and other track
and field events.
Each athlete was teamed with at least
one volunteer escort to make sure the athlete made it to his or her
scheduled event on time. The escorts also cheered for their
athletes and gave hugs and high-fives upon completion of events. At
the end of each event, the athletes were all recognized by taking
their place on the winners' platform and receiving a ribbon for
their accomplishments.
Tara Liners actively encourages participation in
the Special Olympics and other community activities by allowing
employees to attend on company time. "It not only helps our
community but the employees as well," said Cathy Bounds (Director
of Human Resources). "Everyone who gets involved feels so motivated
and excited afterwards. You can't help but be inspired after
working with these athletes."
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CARE Center Involvement
The CARE Center is a local non-profit
community outreach organization that works to reduce poverty in
Southeastern Madison County. It focuses on education
initiatives, employment resources, recovery programs, and emergency
services. Tara Liners works closely with the CARE Center because we
share the goal of improving our community. The relationship
involves more than just donating money and equipment. Management
and employees actively participate in many of the CARE Center
outreach programs and events. The following are some of the
services they generously donate time and effort to support:
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Student
Tutoring & Lunch Buddies
Helping our children to
succeed is the best way to build a brighter future for us all. One
of the ways people at Tara are doing this is by tutoring students
in reading and spending time with them at school during their lunch
break. Thirty one employees are taking time out of their busy
schedule to provide local students in kindergarten through third
grade with some special care and attention. These children often
don't receive this level of attention at home. So, when adults set
aside time to spend specifically with them it means a great deal.
The tutors and lunch buddies are making a positive impact not only
in the lives of the students but our community as a whole. This is
the third year that Tara has been a part of the program and it has
had an incredible affect. There have been significant improvements
in literacy rates, SAT scores, and the confidence and self-esteem
of the students.
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High School Summer
Internships
Every year several local
high school students are offered the opportunity to learn valuable
job skills and earn some extra money over the summer. The
students intern with different departments and work closely with
Tara employees to get on-the-job training and experience. The
students can choose to work in manufacturing, accounting, customer
service and marketing. The interns also receive training in skills
they'll need to deal with life outside of work. A portion of their
day is spent in classes that teach financial responsibility, goal
setting and effecitve habits. Aside from learning how to achieve
success in their future careers, the program also teaches the value
of serving others. They each spend 4 hours a week working at the
CARE Center. The goal of this program is to help these students
achieve their potential and become positive forces in their
community.
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CARE Center 5K Run/Walk
Now in its 3rd year the CARE Center 5K
Run/Walk has been a great way to promote the center and it's
mission. Tara has been a sponsor of the event since it began and
many employees have participated as well. Close to 300 Runners
& Walkers participated in the event this year and raised over
$10,000 for the ministries of the CARE Center. The race is USATF
sanctioned event and it is becoming more and more popular. This has
helped raise awareness of the CARE Center and focus attention on
areas of need in southeastern Madison County.
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Facility Improvements
The CARE Center which began in 2000 had
been in need of a permanent facility to work out of. Tara helped to
find a location for the center and secure funding. Then as work
began on the center many of the employees donated their weekends to
clearing out and refurbishing the building.
Located in the heart of downtown New Hope the center opened its
doors to the community in 2008. Since then it has been able to grow
and thrive in the new facility. They have been able to add a number
of new services to help out the community including: a thrift
store, food pantry, job training and a jobs board. It has also been
a benefit to have a place to gather and store resources. Whenever
there has been a need for volunteers or donations Tara employees
and management have responed to the call. For the past two years
the employees have made a Christmas donation to the CARE Center in
honor of the CEO Tara Furlough.
