ACTS OF KINDNESS
by Anne Allen
It’s a cliche to say that community is important, but it’s only a cliche because of how often it’s proved true. For Allen Lund Company, caring for your community has become a foundational pillar. The Acts of Kindness initiative, born out of the company’s 40th anniversary celebration, remains at its heart.
Born from a brainstorming session among Kenny Lund, Executive Vice President; Steve Doerfler, Chief Financial Officer; and Nora Trueblood, Director of Marketing and Communications, who then pitched the idea to the rest of the executive team, the initiative has become synonymous with the values that Allen Lund Company upholds.
“When we were thinking about what to do to celebrate our 40th, we asked ourselves, ‘What if we do something toward giving back?’ We’ve been very blessed, and my dad always said we need to give back to the community we work with,” shared Kenny Lund, Executive Vice President.
At the time, the company was outfitted with 32 offices and eight support offices, making the 40 number even more serendipitous.
When the announcement for the initiative rolled out internally, no one batted an eye.
“I mean, there was nobody at all who thought, ‘Great, now we’ve got to do this,’” Kenny relayed. “Everybody really embraced the idea behind Acts of Kindness from the first day.”
Instead, in true Allen Lund fashion, everyone immediately buckled into the logistics of the task. That first year, 72 Acts of Kindness were counted on the final roster.
The impact on the communities where Allen Lund works has been profound. Many offices that started working with an area organization have continued to work with that organization for years. For example, through a partnership with Catholic Charities, of which Kenny is a Board Member, Allen Lund Company has long been supporting Navidad en el Barrio, which feeds thousands of families every Christmas. Gamer’s Outreach, the American Cancer Society, St. Vincent de Paul, and countless food banks across the country are beneficiaries of this powerful program.