How 4 Coworkers Found Greater Meaning Through Community Service at Work

Giving back to your community involves more than just writing a check — it involves sleeves-up, hands-on hard work, too. At CDW Corporation, community service efforts are supported and, in fact, encouraged. Eligible coworkers can take a paid day off to serve their communities.

CDW coworkers have improved the communities that they live and work in through a variety of programs, establishing a company culture that values strong citizenship. Take, for example, the CDW Fun Drive, a month-long campaign during which CDW coworkers organize and participate in creative fundraising events that benefit Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals across North America. While this campaign focuses on health and wellness, other efforts have also focused on education, job readiness, active-duty service members and veterans.

CDW is proud to be a company that’s recognized as a good corporate citizen, and its coworkers can attest to its impact. We talked to coworkers at CDW across various departments and locations, and they shared a lot of the same sentiments about the company’s culture of service. Here’s what four coworkers had to say about CDW’s people-first approach.

Kimberly Moffett, Program Manager, Managed Services: I’ve been involved in CDW’s community service activities since I started with the company 10 years ago. I’ve had the chance to participate in a variety of activities, which range from building a house for Habitat for Humanity, to cleaning up a local animal wildlife refuge, to working with future female leaders through Junior Achievement. There are so many opportunities to become involved with CDW’s community service program, and there’s something for everyone that allows you to make a difference for causes you’re passionate about.

Merissa Quigley, Sales Manager: I’ve been an active community service participant with CDW for 6 years now. Our office in Eatontown, NJ hosts (and participates in) a number of activities each year. Because of these annual efforts, I’ve walked in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event, bowled in our Annual Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowling event, donated food and toys for local families during the holidays and participated in our annual Fun Drive BBQ supporting the Children’s Miracle Network. There are so many great ways to get involved with the community at CDW.

Sandy Pierantoni, Senior Program Manager, Community Relations: Volunteering and coworker engagement are a huge part of CDW culture. Our coworkers are talented, enthusiastic, competitive and never disappoint. We provide them with many opportunities to volunteer with our charitable partners throughout our CDW locations. We’ve found that volunteering positively reinforces our commitment and support for the communities we live and work in. 

Kimberly Moffett, Program Manager, Managed Services: I feel so much pride being a part of a company like CDW that truly cares about the communities we know and love. In addition to our service, we get to cultivate relationships with each other across departments which we may not get the chance to do, otherwise. Our teamwork contributes to the greater good of our communities and ourselves, and there’s something really special about that. 

Merissa Quigley, Sales Manager: CDW’s community programs are different than others I’ve experienced because of its impact and scale. We do things together that make a noticeable impact on our communities, but we also participate remotely and locally which casts ripple effects on a smaller community scale. 

Brendan Gittell, Sales Manager: The amount of people that take the time out of their busy work day to give back makes working here different than my past work experiences — and more rewarding. We’re able to make a real difference within our community because of it. As part of our efforts with Junior Achievement, last school year, we volunteered in over 230 classrooms, which is over 5,000 students! 

Sandy Pierantoni, Senior Program Manager, Community Relations: CDW’s culture and one of our company philosophies is that you treat your coworkers the way that you want your customers to be treated. Our coworkers are passionate about what they do, no matter what they’re doing, whether that’s providing exceptional customer experience while in the office or helping our fellow neighbors. 

Merissa Quigley, Sales Manager: CDW’s community programs are a reflection of our culture because it’s all about the people. Our coworkers are what make us great and it’s evident in the groups of people who go out and give back to our communities. These are the people we work with — and want to work with — day-after-day.

Brendan Gittell, Sales Manager: I’d describe the culture of CDW as one of continuous growth and learning. Our leaders act as mentors and really strive to help others, such as myself, succeed. Since joining, I’ve been fortunate enough to have many informal mentorships with people who I respect for their knowledge and approachability; I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.

Kimberly Moffett, Program Manager, Managed Services: The culture is what attracted me to CDW — and since joining 10 years ago that culture has only gotten stronger. There’s just something unexplainable and so very special about CDW — our coworkers are the ones that maintain morale, and I’m so fortunate to have people that I can work alongside with every day that I consider not only friends, but family.

Merissa Quigley, Sales Manager: People probably don’t know that there’s a wide variety of benefits available to coworkers from health, finance and wellness that I feel most people don’t take full advantage of. There are also many unique organizations and communities within CDW that coworkers can be a part of including our Business Resource Groups. I’m a member of the Women’s Opportunity Network (WON), a business resource group, which gives me the opportunity to connect with other women within CDW, as well as, locally in my office. I encourage all coworkers to explore the company as I’m sure they’ll find subcultures within it that they’d want to be a part of. 

Kimberly Moffett, Program Manager, Managed Services: I think most of our coworkers know we have a Community Relations strategy and many opportunities to become involved at an individual level, but I feel that most coworkers don’t realize the total impact that CDW makes through community service each year. Our impact is huge and it is far-reaching, and as coworkers, we should be proud to share this within our own CDW community and outside of our company’s four walls.

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