One Candle at a Time
June 1, 2008 - Speech given by Ralph Shrader (Booz Allen Chairman & CEO) at the Points of Light & Hands On Network Corporate Excellence Awards held in Atlanta, Georgia.
To receive this honor – and share recognition with such worthy companies as ChoicePoint, Genworth Financial, Walt Disney and Ben & Jerry’s – is quite exciting, and very special for all of us at Booz Allen Hamilton.
When we designed Booz Allen’s Community Relations program years ago, we were deliberate about what we wanted to be and do. No matter how worthy the cause, we didn’t want to write “standalone checks.” We wanted our efforts to be driven by the passion of our employees and directed to people in need – at a very personal level.
Their passion and caring shines a light of hope much more brightly than money could alone. Like many of you, I’ve carried memorial candles, “Light the Night” balloons and torches for causes that I’m passionate about. But, to me, the most compelling symbol of light isn’t a big-bang explosion of fireworks. It’s something much more personal – the humble birthday candle. A birthday candle is our “first light.” It’s a celebration of personal connection with others.
In this regard, I’m convinced that the greatest challenge – and greatest opportunity – for those of us leading corporate volunteerism programs, is to keep them personal. We need to scale our impact without losing the individual connection that makes such a difference, one person, one candle, at a time.
Thank you.
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