In late July, 560 Partners and associates of nationally recognized public accounting firm Cherry Bekaert LLP (“the Firm”) participated in the Firm’s second-annual Volunteer Week. Every office in all of Cherry Bekaert’s markets throughout the Southeast participated.

Reflecting this year’s theme of “Making a Difference in the Lives of our Youth,” Cherry Bekaert Volunteer Week 2017 included Firm associates volunteering at Ronald McDonald Houses, Boys & Girls Clubs, Junior Achievement, United Way, and numerous local parks, schools, and camps. Associates engaged in activities such as networking with at-risk high school students, building a recreation area for a community park, painting school murals, planning and hosting sports, arts and science activities for summer camps, putting together backpacks with classroom supplies for public school students, and preparing food for at-risk kids in summer camp.

In addition to engaging in specifically youth-related activities, Firm associates also volunteered at local shelters, soup kitchens, and food banks. Volunteering activities involved collecting comfort items, school supplies, and hygiene kits, crafting blankets at shelters, cleaning and prepping shelters for pet adoption, painting a shelter for women and children, filling batteries to support lymphoma and leukemia awareness events, preparing and packaging food for in-need families, and preparing meals for families of hospitalized children.

“Thanks to the many Cherry Bekaert professionals who collectively spent over 2,000 hours lending a helping hand within their local communities during Volunteer Week,” remarked Howard J. Kies, CPA, Firm Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Cherry Bekaert. “Giving back and supporting worthy causes shows who we are at our core and reflects our commitment to making a difference.”