We’d like to share with you these examples of corporate social responsibility from Alan Rigby, Director of Operations at PBO Group.
At Summit, one of our core missions is to design and deliver innovative and impactful team experiences that can be opportunities for teams to connect, grow, and practice high performance.
One of the consistent qualities of high performing organizations that we’ve observed from working with thousands of teams in various sectors is the value that they place on corporate social responsibility. In line with these values, we designed the Step Up team building activity to give participants a team building experience which will allow them to not only connect with their colleagues, but with the global community.
A competitive program where teams complete a series of challenges that lead up to a final prosthesis assembly, Step Up gives teams an opportunity to help global neighbours in a tangible way. To facilitate this, we’ve partnered with Alan Rigby – Director of Operations at PBO Group – and Prosthetic Hope International (prosthetichope.org) on their mission to ensure that every person who needs a prosthetic device has access to it. Every team that participates in this program contributes to providing a client from the developing world with a life changing prosthetic device!
From Kenjabi, Kenya to Belize, Alan Rigby has helped us ensure that the contributions of the hundreds of teams that have taken part in the Step Up program get to clients in need. Most recently, Alan has been busy working with PHI to help clients from Belize. We had a chance to catch up with Alan over the past few weeks, and he shared a few stories which reveal the on-the-ground impact that the Step Up teams have had. Here are three stories Alan wanted to share with you!
Learn More: Team Building Case Studies | Our CSR and Charity Partners
Mr. M
Mr. M was one of the first clients I interacted with in Belize. He was accompanied by his sons who were roughly 10, 12, and 14. While the younger two played just outside the casting area, the 14 year old came inside with his father. Mr. M lost his leg two years prior from complications of an infection in his right leg. Although the doctors tried their best to control the infection, a below knee amputation was required to save his life. Due to the lack of availability of prosthetic care, he was fully healed for over a year but unable to contribute much in his household. When I first met Mr. M, he seemed very subdued and seemed like he had given up hope. His eldest son helped him to his appointments using a second hand wheelchair they received in their community. Although it was difficult to get him excited for a prosthesis, I knew he would be a great candidate.
We first stood him up with a walker. We then took a couple of steps, and as he started to gain his balance, his demeanor changed. We quickly progressed from a walker, to crutches, to a single cane. By the end of the fitting, we walked all the way down the street and back with his kids cheering him along the way. He left the clinic on two feet, with his kids and the empty wheelchair in tow.
N
We met N on our first trip down to PHI. He has been an above knee amputee since he was born. He has been attending Prosthetic hope international as a patient since he was 10 years old. Prior he utilized a single crutch to get around. He is now 20 years old and a father of two. Prosthetic Hope international has allowed him to live his life to the fullest. When we arrived, he wasn’t there to be just a patient. He had an active role at prosthetic hope international. Noel now has the goal of becoming a prosthetist as well. During our last trip, he was a sponge as he shadowed and helped our technician, Gary, fabricate the prostheses for the people of Belize. There’s a phrase: “give a man a fish and he’ll be fed for a day, teach a man to fish and he’ll be fed for a lifetime”. It’s amazing to train someone local to not only help during our time there, but to help provide ongoing support to the amputees while we are planning the next trip. For N, he’s so happy to give back to a clinic which has given him so much.
J
J was the youngest client we saw on our volunteer trip. His amputation was caused in a motor vehicle accident a year prior. He is now an above knee amputee. He came to the clinic with his parents and his two crutches. At first he was quite shy and quiet. Luckily our clinicians were able to make a connection with him quickly and he opened up to us. With us fabricating the prosthesis and providing some gait training, he was able to start walking with the help of a single crutch. He will need many replacement prostheses in the future as he grows. He did extremely well for his first time on a prosthesis and I’m looking forward to seeing how he progresses. His family was amazing and we’re excited to see them in the future.
