One of the Charitable Ten
Posted for Ausley Associates
Pax Leader
Jane Pannone, left, and Michelle Connolly decorate Ausley Associates' tree at the 2010 Hospice of St. Mary's Festival of Trees. Ausley is the main corporate sponsor for the 2011 Festival, scheduled for Dec. 3.
Ausley Associates, a Lexington Park, Maryland military contractor, was named one of the ten most charitable businesses in Maryland recently by the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. Ausley was named one of ten finalists in the 2011 Maryland Business Philanthropy Awards and was honored at an awards banquet at Hyatt Regency Baltimore Nov. 9.
The nomination put Ausley, which currently employs just over 100 employees, in the state spotlight along with big employers, such as Choice Hotels International and Verizon Wireless.
Despite its small size, Ausley has been a charitable dynamo in the last year, supporting Special Olympics of St. Mary’s County, Hospice of St. Mary’s, Patuxent Habitat for Humanity, America’s Vet Dogs, St. Mary’s Juvenile Drug Court, St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation and Muscular Dystrophy Association. The company also adopted two local families for the holidays last year, providing clothing, toys and grocery gift cards for two mothers and their five children.
“We have always had a charity effort from the beginning,” said owner Paul Ausley, who noted that the company has been giving since its inception in 1997.
The company’s philosophy is that charitable giving strengthens the symbolic bond between the company and the community. In its application to the Maryland Chamber to be considered for the Business Philanthropy Awards, the company stated: “A company cannot be successful without support from the local community. Ausley realizes this and makes it a company goal to give back to the community.”
Ausley gives to a wide variety of local and global charities, but keeps its giving focused on veterans and children. Paul Ausley has served as the president of the St. Mary’s County Kiwanis Club and has also allowed the group to meet at his business offices. He said the experience influenced him to make children a top focus in the company’s charitable giving campaigns.
“If you don’t start out right as children, your life is not going to turn out right,” Ausley observed.
The company has a three-pronged approach to charity. The company provides direct funding and sponsorships to charitable organizations. It also provides its employees as resources to these organizations. And finally, the company allows scheduling flexibility to its employees so they can contribute personally.
Of those employees is Dawn Campbell, one of two operations analysts for the company’s VTUAV Deployments IPT, which supports the Navy’s Fire Scout program for PMA-266. Campbell recently helped organize the JRock-N-Run 5K Race November 5, 2011 at Sotterley Plantation in Hollywood, Maryland to benefit cancer research through the Jordan Paganelli Sarcoma Foundation. The company not only allowed Campbell freedom to work on the event when necessary, but also contributed financially to the event as one of the corporate sponsors.
“One of the great things about Ausley is they give us the flexibility,” Campbell said. “They encourage us to take part in these events. Without that flexibility that Ausley allows, I would not have been able to participate.”
Campbell also collects “gently loved” professional clothing that has been distributed to clients through area organizations such as Jobs Connections. Ausley allows Campbell to store the clothing in a first-floor space of the corporate office until time for distribution.
“It says a lot, from a company perspective, that Ausley not only gives financial support but also the flexibility for employees to do these things,” Campbell said.
Ausley plans to continue its vigorous charitable giving, and is the major corporate sponsor for this year’s Hospice of St. Mary’s Festival of Trees. Requests for support can be directed to Michelle Connolly at [email protected].
Sometimes charities will use the car donations themselves in their daily charitable activities – sometimes to transport people. Perhaps they may use it to transport people in need to doctor’s appointments, social worker appointments, hospital tests, etc. More often though the vehicles will be sold at auction or off their car lots to raise money for the charity’s programs or their general fund. Yes it is not common knowledge that many charities have their own car lots. Many Goodwill Industry stores have their own.