It’s Schwab Volunteer Week. For the eighth straight year, we’re bringing extra arms, legs and expertise – plus a grant from Charles Schwab Foundation – to nonprofits across the country.

This week, thousands of Schwab employees will participate in a community service project. Many will spend their time weeding, painting, cleaning, serving meals or teaching financial basics to others. After all, that’s what our volunteer efforts are all about – working with organizations that share Schwab’s purpose of helping everyone be financially fit.

Sometimes we support our purpose directly, like when we teach Money Matters: Make It Count to teens at Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Sometimes we support our purpose indirectly, such as helping Dress for Success clients pick out their job-interview outfit or working to build homes through Habitat for Humanity.

“It’s fascinating to do volunteer work side-by-side with colleagues,” said Leah Lau, an eight-year Schwab veteran and co-recipient of the company’s 2010 Community Service Award. “It’s a great equalizer.”

So it’s an exciting week here at Schwab. We’re decked out in our blue and green Aspire Higher T-shirts (pardon the quick shout-out to Kevin Nitsos of Schwab Creative Services, who designed our logo). As one of 40 volunteer photographers, I’m heading out to photograph a painting crew at Larkin Street Youth Services in San Francisco. I’ll share more photos and stories from our award winners later this week, along with glimpses of other projects in Austin, Denver, Indianapolis, Orlando, Phoenix, Richfield, OH, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

In the meantime, please submit a comment or email us… How do you make a difference in your community?

0511-3285

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