The first official Camden Cares Committee was formed from our Virginia Regional office. The committee created our Camden Cares Logo. Especially throughout the month of September, there have been a lot of blogs this year about the Camden Cares program.  As we were preparing for our Camden Cares events in Arizona in September, I realized that even after five plus years with the Camden Family, I truly did not know the history of this program. 

Although Camden Cares is promoted and worked on throughout the entire year, the month of September is designated as Operation Homefront Month. Inspired by the meaningful and substantial contributions of our Camden Cares committees, our executive team sought a national charity to which we could contribute our collective efforts. They knew harnessing the power of Camden volunteerism across the company would have a substantial impact on a single charitable organization. Of course, the tough part was choosing a charity. A housing-related charity was an obvious direction for us because our expertise would be a definite value-added. Within this broad category, Camden decided to focus its service efforts on those who first served us, members of the United States military.

After researching many organizations’ missions, methods and financial policies, Camden decided to partner with Operation Homefront. Operation Homefront’s mission is to provide emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our wounded warriors and service members. The services they provide include financial assistance, emergency home repairs, appliance repair, and furniture and household items. This organization gives our Camden Cares teams many diverse ways to serve, from hosting fundraising events to repairing appliances in service members’ homes – all right up our alley!

Here are some excerpts from a submission that Margaret Plummer, Camden's VP of Employee Development, had submitted for our application for Great Places to Work: - How we give back to society is perfectly aligned with who we are as a company – we work as a team, we care for others, and we have fun. - For years, we informally called our philanthropy work Camden Cares, which reflected how we felt about the work we were doing. When an associate involved Camden colleagues in supporting a charitable cause, we would say “Camden cares.” 

In 2010, associates in the Virginia regional office took Camden Cares to the next level. They created a regional Camden Cares Committee. It is dedicated to selecting and organizing region-wide volunteer and donation efforts. Committee members evaluate project recommendations from associates, coordinate with charitable organizations, schedule volunteers, implement projects and then share results with the region. Members serve a minimum one-year term. New members apply for membership by submitting a written explanation of why they want to serve on the committee and the regional team selects them.

The Camden Cares Committee was a huge hit from the very beginning! Associates loved having a simple, direct way to harness the power of Camden volunteers for the benefit of their favorite charities. Camden Communities and our Corporate offices give back to the community throughout the year!