02/11/2020
Rebuilding Together: Community Service Day
Dallas, Texas
Once again, Sika Sarnafil has left the city hosting the International Roofing Expo (IRE) a better place by sponsoring the event’s local “Community Service Day.” This year marks the 11th straight year that Sika Sarnafil has acted as the primary sponsor of the IRE show program. 11 years ago, Sika Sarnafil helped found this event in partnership with the IRE. This annual gathering brings dozens of volunteers together from throughout the roofing industry to donate a day of their time during the conference week so they can give back to the local community. Since its founding, the event has only continued to expand with increasing roofing industry volunteers each year. This year’s IRE conference was held in Dallas, TX from February 4-6th. As per usual, the Community Service Day took place the Monday before the conference.
Each year, Sika Sarnafil donates $15,000 to the IRE in partnership with the local chapter of Rebuilding Together to identify projects in the local community that needs assistance. This donation helps pay for construction material supplies as well as the labor efforts of the Rebuilding Together staff. Typically, a few local homes in need are identified, though this year also found necessary upgrades at a local, underfunded elementary school. This sort of donation also provides assistance for projects beyond the single volunteer day, which is why Sika Sarnafil is eager to promote the need for corporate donation and assistance for Rebuilding Together.
At this year’s Community Service Day, volunteers at the elementary school helped work on several projects, installing a new fountain and building new structures at the school, including new outdoor classroom space, a storage shed for supplies for their new garden and a new chicken coop. One of the home projects volunteers worked on this year was that of an elderly couple where the disabled husband is currently undergoing cancer treatment and being cared for by his wife. The other residence volunteers worked on was that of a single mother who stays home to take care of her disabled son. In both cases, the homes were desperately in need of work and the families were extremely grateful for the help.
In addition to supplying the main funding, Sika Sarnafil was proud to contribute to the day with the time and effort of its people. Sika Sarnafil had a strong showing from employees attending IRE and donating their time to giving back.
At the end of the day, volunteers at the elementary school were treated to a great capper when the students came out for a “100th day of school” parade and thanked the group for their efforts. Overall, it was an inspired day and all Sika participants found it to be a rewarding experience, one Sika Sarnafil will remain committed to and is eager to continue to promote in the roofing industry.
