EBS is a strong proponent of giving back to the community. To encourage this activity among our employees, we engage in a variety of activities.
EBS allows employees business time to perform charitable activities. The purpose of this opportunity is two-fold. We want to encourage our employees and their children to take a more active role in the needs of one’s community. And, we want to facilitate and instill the importance of participating and creating a belief that we all need to give to others and to programs in order to make our communities and the world a better place. We accomplish this goal by allowing employees five days per year of paid time off for charitable philanthropic activities.
For several years, EBS has sponsored the Youth Service Bureau’s Chef Soiree, the major fundraiser for this organization. The Youth Service Bureau (www.ysbworks.org) is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to the belief that strong youth and families are the cornerstone of a strong community. The mission of the Youth Service Bureau is to provide troubled or high-risk youth and their families with programs of prevention and early intervention which enable the youth to choose a new direction and become responsible community members. Founded in 1981 to answer the needs of at-risk youth and families, YSB continues to provide these programs today. The Youth Service Bureau also fosters quality advocacy efforts to ensure that all children in our community have safe and permanent homes.
Mike and Christine Foster of EBS founded The Harvey L. Foster Foundation for Science Education in late 2007. The mission is to award the ambition of the future science leaders of tomorrow with college tuition today. From grade school to grad school, the Foundation is supporting the next generation of scientists, engineers and chemists through educational initiatives. Whether it’s introducing the marvels of science and engineering to students through our career day mentoring programs, rewarding excellence in high school science fair competitions, providing schools with much needed laboratory equipment, or providing scholarships for students to pursue science careers with the HLFF Scholarship or the Pearl River Studies Scholarship, the Foundation strives to touch the lives of thousands of students community wide every day. Information on the foundation can be located at www.theharveylfosterfoundation.com.
EBS participates in the Mandeville, Louisiana High School Field Internship Program. This program was designed for seniors to give students a more in-depth look at their career interest through hands-on experience. It involves the “hiring” of an intern or student by a mentor within the community who will teach the student a trade. The high school senior not only obtains a taste of all aspects of that career but is an asset to the mentor. EBS participates in the Science Internship program, this year we had three amazing students. Here is an article from the St Tammany News about the program.St Tammany News.
Career Day – EBS presents to local schools on career day. The discussion typically revolves around the various science careers that high school seniors might not be aware of. Students tend to be more familiar with careers such as becoming a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, veterinarian, or even working in some sort of research field. EBS presents career information for those looking into biology, chemistry, or engineering majors that involve the manufacturing side of science.
Science Fairs – EBS assists schools in grading science presentations for science fairs.
Habitat for Humanity - EBS encourages its employees to get evolved in their communities. Kermit Francis of EBS spent a few days helping Habitat for Humanity. Please visit Habitat for Humanity's site for more about Kermit's experience.
Elementary School programs – EBS happily assists elementary schools with science related activities. We have taught about microbiology using a show-and-tell method with our company microscope and samples. We gave around 27 show-and-tell presentations about volcano’s spouting lava. We discuss and show artifacts of American Indian Culture. Recently we did a demonstration on the effects of dredging on Lake Pontchartrain. For pictures of these presentations and more visit our Facebook page.
Cub Scouts – EBS discussed and presented laboratory experiments in the area of science to the local Cub Scout Troop. This allowed the scouts to receive their Science belt loop and/or pin.
Additional philanthropic groups EBS sponsors – EBS also donates money to a variety of charitable activities, some of which our friends or family have been impacted by or those they are championing. We are proud to assist those who are helping others in the world.
· EBS is a sponsor of the Les Turner ALS Walk 4 Life in Chicago. ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, attacks a person’s muscles, gradually robbing their ability to walk, speak, eat, and breathe, yet usually keeping their mind intact. There are many organizations raising money for ALS research so if you are interested in supporting that topic we encourage you to search out the group that interests you the most on the web.
· Recently an Earthquake devastated the city of Port Au Prince, Hati and nearby towns, killing over a 100,000 people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless and without the essentials for life. Haiti does not have the means to respond to emergencies of this magnitude, means to give primary healthcare, clean-up and reconstruct the country. Compound with the fact that their airport runways and major roads are now damaged; this country has little means to move relief goods to their needed areas. As a company that gives back to the community we are calling upon your kindness and generosity to join us in contributing to this important cause. There are two ways you can contribute to the “HAITI RELIEF FUND”. The first one is to go to the Red Cross website by clicking on this link www.redcross.org, and click on the Haiti Relief link to place your contribution. The second is to text “HAITI” to 90999. If texting, a $10.00 contribution will be charged to your next cell phone bill. If you desire to donate more, go to the Red Cross Website. Any amount will be will be able to help. We thank you in advance for your generosity and kindness on behalf of our brothers and sisters of Haiti.
· EBS has also sponsored children for the Upward Community Services’ Camp Upward summer camp. Upward Community Services (UCS) assists the troubled, needy and overwhelmed members of our local community. Their ministry is focused on offering a hand up, not a handout. Their programs instill responsibility, accountability and the hope that one can improve his or her own life. UCS provides after school mentoring, summer camp, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, as well as assistance in a variety of areas that people just need a little help with through their Community Helps program. For more information on this great group of people assisting our community in St. Tammany Parish, please see www.upwardcommunityservices.org.
