CDM Smith Donates to Family Promise, Blaze Aid and the Business Council of Australia’s Community Rebuilding Initiative

BOSTON—Participants in CDM Smith’s employee wellness program made three more donations possible as part of the firm’s award-winning wellness program. CDM Smith selected BlazeAid and the Business Council of Australia’s (BCA) Community Rebuilding Initiative as the recipients of $12,500 each. Employees participating in the wellness program voted to give $25,000 to Family Promise.

BlazeAid is a volunteer-based organization that works with families and individuals in rural Australia after natural disasters such as fires and floods. BlazeAid volunteers set up basecamps in firegrounds and then provides materials, volunteer labor, financial assistance and lift community spirit while working in disaster-affected areas for many months, not only helping individuals and families, but also helping rebuild the local communities.

The Business Council of Australia established a Community Rebuilding Initiative launched with the name BizRebuild and chaired by Sir Peter Cosgrove which will be the first point of contact for companies to coordinate during the bushfire crisis and will work as an interface with federal and state authorities.  It will be a five-year initiative working closely with the National Bushfire Recovery Agency headed by Andrew Colvin, APM, OAM to coordinate help, mobilize resources to where they are most needed and assist with rebuilding efforts.

The third organization to receive a donation was Family Promise. Family Promise’s mission is to help homeless and low-income families in the U.S. achieve sustainable independence through a community-based response. CDM Smith President and Chief Operating Officer Anthony Bouchard presented Claas Ehlers, Chief Executive Officer of Family Promise with a check for $25,000 at CDM Smith’s Boston headquarters on March 9, 2020.

The firm’s wellness program, a winner of both a Best and the Brightest in Wellness award and a WorkWell Massachusetts award, rewards employees, spouses and partners for healthy behaviors and accomplishments, with the overall goal of a healthier, more productive, happy and focused workforce. Employees participate in onsite biometric screenings, team challenges, races and exercise classes, and track behaviors that contribute to their overall wellbeing. The firm sets quarterly goals for participants to strive for, resulting in charitable donations of up to $50,000 per quarter.