The month of April was a busy one for our employees and the community of Brockville, Ontario (Canada). Teams within the site have been raising funds for the construction of a new community playground, while others donated their time to community clean up efforts across the city - an effort for which Transcom was a major sponsor.
In addition, from April 29th through May 3rd, Thomas O'Keefe (Human Resources Manager), accepted the Live Below the Line challenge, sustaining himself on just $1.75 each day for all his food and drink needs.
Why $1.75? That is the Canadian equivalent of the extreme poverty line. Living on so little gives participants a glimpse into the challenges faced by the 1.4 billion people around the world who have no choice but to live below the line everyday, for everything - from food, to medical care, to transportation, to education, and more. "In today's world, extreme poverty and inequality are unjustifiable and unfair," says Thomas. "Live Below the Line demonstrates the problem in a concrete way, while raising money to address the problem."
Every dollar raised as part of Thomas' participation in the challenge goes to support the The Belinda Stronach Foundation and it's Spread the Net program. This is a grassroots campaign designed to motivate, educate, and inspire Canadians to help end preventable malaria deaths by raising funds and awareness to support the purchase and distribution of bed nets to children and families in Africa. While Thomas' challenge is complete, it's not too late to sponsor his efforts - the challenge is open until July. A hearty congratulations to all involved!