FleishmanHillard Texas Writes Cards, Donates Goods and Volunteers to Support the LGBTQIA+ Community in North Texas

FleishmanHillard’s pro bono and volunteer initiative, FH4Inclusion, supports nonprofit organizations that are creating an inclusive society — one where all people feel valued, their differences are respected and their basic needs are met, so they can live in dignity.

Like many parts of the United States, Texas has seen an increase in threats of violence toward the LGBTQIA+ community this year, as well as legislation targeting this group specifically. According to the Human Rights Campaign, legislators in Texas have introduced more than 100 anti-LGTBQIA+ bills this year – more than 20% of all the anti-LGTBQIA+ bills introduced in the U.S.

Our Texas team members felt compelled to find a way to support this community through our FH4Inclusion initiative and, over the summer, partnered with the Resource Center, which operates one of the largest LGBTQIA+ community centers in the U.S. and is a primary HIV/AIDS service organization in North Texas. With a staff of nearly 100 people supported by over 1,200 volunteers, the Resource Center serves more than 62,000 people each year through programs that address the needs of the LGBTQIA+ community and services that provide critical assistance to people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS – including a food pantry and hot meal program that serves 800 people each week. They have grown into a trusted provider of LGBTQIA+ services in a safe, affirming environment with the goal of achieving recognition and equal rights for all LGBTQIA+ people. (To learn more about the Resource Center and the multitude of ways they support the LGBTQIA+ community, visit myresourcecenter.org.)

To ensure that all our Texas team members could participate, we worked with the Resource Center to find multiple ways for folks to contribute –including on-site, in-office and remote options. Our support kicked off in June for Pride Month with a letter-writing initiative and food/supply drive where colleagues wrote letters or shared cards with words of encouragement and/or donated much-needed food/supplies to support the LGBTQIA+ community. In July, eight FleishmanHillard team members delivered the donations of cards and goods to the Resource Center and spent the morning assisting clients in the food pantry and serving hot meals.

In all, our colleagues donated 166 pounds of food and goods and spent 44 hours planning, writing cards and volunteering to support the Resource Center.

The efforts by our Texas office helped bring our cumulative contributions through FH4Inclusion to more than 37,000 hours of service to more than 130 nonprofit organizations globally.