Emerald Community Committee Supports & Recognizes Neurodiversity
The focus of Emerald’s Community Committee is to look for volunteer opportunities and ways for our team to give back to communities, focusing on outreach and making a difference. In April of 2021, Emerald’s Community Committee focused on organizations that promote neurodiversity in both our internal and external communities.
The United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared April 2nd as World Autism Awareness Day to highlight the need to help improve the quality of life of those with autism so they can lead full and meaningful lives as an integral part of society. In support of this, and the #lightitupblue hashtag, Emerald and the other Epic Staffing Group companies came together as a team and wore blue in solidarity.
To learn more about autism and some of the therapies that are used to assist children who are diagnosed on the spectrum, Emerald partnered with a company called Rainbeaus & Sonshine, a company specializing in creating unique sensory play kits. Each internal employee was invited to learn more by choosing a kit for themselves or their child to explore.
Sensory play kits for children provide a multitude of benefits, such as stimulating the brain, creating neural pathways and improving sensory processing systems, improving social skills such as communication and cooperation, improving coordination and fine motor skills, and calming children down when they are agitated. Emerald employees were invited to participate in a Zoom learning session hosted by Rainbeaus & Sonshine, gaining an understanding of how sensory kits can be used for both neuro-typical and neuro-diverse children to assist in their learning and development.
Emerald’s Community Committee also partnered with PerspectAbility, an organization in Northwest Arkansas that focuses on bridging the gaps in residential options, continuing education, and quality support for independent living of neurodiverse adults while promoting self-advocacy, educating the public, and encouraging meaningful interactions within an inclusive community.
PerspectAbility operates a tulip farm employed almost entirely by neurodiverse adults in the Northwest Arkansas area. Emerald’s Community Committee collected donations from our internal teams to donate to PerspectAbility’s cause.
#TeamEmerald and our Community Committee are dedicated to leaving the world a better place than we found it. Make sure to check in with us throughout the year to stay up to date on what the Community Committee has been up to!