While the suited TACA Silver Cup crowd was filling the Hilton Anatole’s Grand Ballroom on Friday, February 19, an interesting project was underway in another part of the hotel involving Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center. No awards were handed out. No music was played. No programs were distributed. But what took place provided a double whammy involving more than 100 PricewaterhouseCoopers newbies and benefited nearly 70 children that the PwC-ers may never know. And, no, nary a calculator was put in use. Here’s a report from the field:
On Friday, February 19, 120 new PricewaterhouseCoopers employees gathered at the Hilton Anatole for their orientation to the culture of PwC. As part of their final team building exercise, the PwC team revealed that they would be building 68 new bikes to donate to the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center.
As they divided into two teams, the new hires quickly began to piece the bikes together, each of them varying in size and color. In addition to the bikes, PwC also donated new helmets, as well as front and rear lights. They also took the extra time to hand write special notes of encouragement that were attached to each bike. All bikes were then quality controlled by Future Wheels staff.
Future Wheels LLC President David Thornton said, “It was an honor to be able to assist PwC and the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center team in delivering bicycles to so many kids in the Dallas area. The new hire bike building program PwC has developed over the past 7 years has changed the lives of thousands of kids. Dallas is fortunate to have DCAC as a safety net for so many.”
DCAC staff were able to share with the new PwC hires the impact that these bikes would have on the lives of some of the most severely abused children in Dallas County. Inspired, the new employees listened as DCAC staff told the story of a client who was afraid to go outside as the offender lived across the street. Through her therapy at DCAC, the little girl mentioned that she was ready to go outside again, and would love to have a bike to ride. Hopeful for her client, the therapist asked DCAC’s Family Assistance team for a bike for her client. The team was able to find a bright pink bike complete with pink streamers and a Frozen-themed helmet. Overwhelmed with excitement and the chance to overcome her fears, the little girl rode her bike right out the front doors of DCAC and into the sunshine.
Leading the orientation, PwC Principal Advisory Karla Stricker Anderson said, “The work being done by the team at Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center is truly inspirational. Knowing we were building bikes for the kids at DCAC served as a great motivator to our PwC team of 120 new hires. We are excited to be able to share this special gift with these deserving children.”
DCAC would like to extend a special thank you to PwC and all of the new hires for their generosity – the bikes will have a lasting impact on the lives of these children.