By Marcus Fernandez
The term “ripple effect” is used to describe what happens after an object is dropped into water. It creates a ripple pattern expanding out from the point of origin. The impact is felt in waves and grows incrementally. The same can be said of goodwill. The immediate ripple is felt by the person or persons directly impacted by the act, but then the act of goodwill or giving grows. It affects someone else. It inspires their own growth, experience or maybe their own philanthropic endeavors. When we launched the Kinney, Fernandez & Boire Community Action Program in January of 2016, we knew that we wanted to impact the children of Tampa Bay. What we didn’t anticipate — and what we’ve witnessed in the time since — is the ripple effect of giving.
Since launching the Community Action Program, the staff of Kinney, Fernandez & Boire has donated more than 577 hours to the children of Tampa Bay. Our team has worked with organizations such as Metropolitan Ministries, Children’s Home Society of Florida, Hope Children’s Home, Ronald McDonald House and Feeding Tampa Bay. We’ve served meals and stocked food pantries. We’ve stuffed backpacks and organized thrift stores. We’ve fundraised and we’ve walked. We’ve donated school supplies and empowered employees to give with more than $3000 through our Pay It Forward Program.
All the while, we thought about the impact that we were having on others; the number of kids that would utilize the school supplies we’ve donated; the families nourished from the food we’ve shared. Meanwhile, there was a ripple effect taking place within our team. We’ve felt the joy of giving and have seen the direct result of work. We’ve been inspired to continue to find new ways to give.
The Ripples We Make By Giving
The impact of our Community Action Program was just the beginning. As a company, we’ve committed to a long-term plan of financial support for Make-A-Wish of Southern Florida. By 2021, Kinney, Fernandez & Boire will donate approximately $100,000 to our chapter through a variety of initiatives. These dollars will help grant life-changing wishes for critically ill children in the Tampa Bay community. Additionally, we know it is only when we become personally involved that we can truly champion a cause. So, it is with great pride I share that I will be serving on the Board of Directors for Make-A-Wish of Southern Florida.
In addition to our work with Make-A-Wish, I will also be serving on the University of Tampa Board of Fellows. The Board of Fellows is comprised of more than 150 business professionals who serve as goodwill ambassadors in the community. They help increase the visibility of the University and help to raise funds for scholarship programs. The University of Tampa has a tremendous impact on children and community, representing the top tier of U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” and providing an annual economic impact of more than $1 billion to the Tampa Bay area.
The Next Ripple
If you’ve been inspired to give, please consider some of the organizations we support such as Make-A-Wish, the Davis Island Youth Sailing Foundation and the University of Tampa — or find a charitable organization in your own community. No act is too small to make a ripple effect on others around you.
