I don’t know about you, but I can hardly believe that the holidays are almost here! Amidst the chaos of the holiday shopping season it is so easy to think about what WE want…whether that is a designer handbag, home décor or a new car. (Wait—is that just me?)

But, the holidays always have a way of inspiring a sense of generosity that sometimes overshadows that feeling of want. People seem remarkably enthused to give of their time and money to organizations in need around the holidays.

At Borshoff, we have donated to United Way of Central Indiana for the past 20 years and have been named a “United Way Company That Cares” for 17 years. UWCI is important to Indianapolis and a cause that is near to our hearts here at Borshoff. In fact, before Thanksgiving, we’re hoping to get 100 percent employee participation in a United Way “giving” campaign.

If you feel like you may be catching the generosity bug, here are a few things you can do:

• Decide if you’d like to help an organization that is local or national. Some helpful websites for getting started include DoSomething.org and VolunteerMatch.org.
• Choose whether you will give of your time, money or both. Then decide on a dollar and/or time amount and stick to it (for the year…or just for the holidays).
• Compile a list of organizations your colleagues or friends support and use that as a starting point when choosing an organization that interests you.
• Notice upcoming events, such as walks, runs or festivals, which always need more volunteers. These are usually a lot of fun, too!

Personally, I give my time and money to a couple animal advocacy groups in Indianapolis. Sometimes I get the itch to give a little more around the holidays. But, volunteering in general is always a wholesome source of cheer—no matter the season! What are you GIVING this holiday season?

“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
At all the times you can,
In all the ways you can,
To all the people you can,
As ever long as you can.”
-John Wesley

Last Saturday I attended the United Way Diversity Volunteer Recognition breakfast at the invitation of one of my fellow Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership (SKL) Series classmates, Sonia Chen. I was excited to go because I’d recently taken over our firm’s diversity initiative, and I thought this would be a great opportunity to connect with others and see what was going on in the community.

My experience turned out to be so much more. Sonia introduced me to a lot of great people, particularly some of her fellow board members from the Asian American Alliance. But what I realized later was just how much my SKL experience had prepared me a year earlier for my new-found interest in diversity in the workplace and marketplace.

I’ve had the privilege of working in some diverse environments, but SKL helped me bond with some of our community’s up-and-coming leaders who have exposed me to different points of view and new ways of thinking. My classmates have also connected me to new experiences and new resources, a perfect example of which was Sonia’s invitation to breakfast.

So while Saturday’s breakfast was a celebration of diversity and of volunteerism in Indianapolis, for me, it was also a celebration of true community and connection, because it brought me in touch with people and ideas that I hadn’t considered before. Thanks, Sonia, for opening a door for me to see something new, and for reminding me why SKL is truly an experience that lasts for a lifetime.