They call themselves the Questar Volunteer
Team, but a better name might be the Volunteer Army. With encouragement
from the company, they mobilize enormous resources and energy in
support of local nonprofit groups.
In Cedar City , Utah, a dozen
employees from the small Questar office collected, wrapped and delivered
holiday gift packets to more than 500 students at East Elementary
School.
In Tulsa, Okla., 38 employees
from the local Questar office donated more than 6,000 pounds of
food to local charities during a three-week food drive.
In Salt Lake City, Questar
volunteers prepared and served about 2,600 meals in the course of
a year at the local Ronald McDonald House, which houses families
of hospitalized children.
In 2004 about 770 Questar volunteers, family
members and friends dedicated almost 7,000 hours to a variety of
causes in their communities. Some of this energy was focused on
Title 1 schools, where children from low-income families often struggle
to meet academic standards. Some was channeled into brightening
the holidays of families struggling with the demands of day-to-day
living. Some was directed toward bringing food and comfort to home-bound
senior citizens.
Questar employees are also known for putting
their money where their hearts are. In the fall of 2004, a total
of 1,307 Questar employees gave about $283,000 to their local United
Way agencies. Questar shareholders matched employee donations dollar
for dollar, bringing total 2004/05 United Way donations to almost
$566,000. In January 2005 they gave another $14,000 to support Junior
Achievement of Utah.
Each month, funds raised at employee Dress
Down Days are divided among a number of local nonprofit groups.
Food collected at annual summer food drives stocks the shelves of
pantries from Wyoming to Oklahoma .
When unexpected events arise, Questar employees
are also eager to help. Within days of the Indian Ocean tsunami
they had raised about $24,000 for relief agencies, an amount the
company matched, bringing the total to almost $48,000.
Yes, it is in Questar's best interest to support
the communities where it does business. But clearly there's more
to it than that.
