Easterseals Crossroads has been a community resource for over 85 years. Along with individual support, we depend upon relationships with businesses and corporations to improve our ability to deliver services to those in our community who depend upon our services. In fact, we rely on philanthropy to meet approximately 25% of our operating budget.
Eight Eleven Group is a valued partner to Easterseals Crossroads; in addition to other initiatives with us, they are also our matching gift sponsor for our annual engagement campaign. The group is matching all donations up to $30,000 through December 31, 2022.
Part of the Central Indiana Community
Eight Eleven Group is the parent company of three separate professional services and consulting organizations: Medasource, Brooksource and Calculated Hire. Brooksource is specifically focused on providing support for organizations’ engineering and IT needs; Medasource is specifically tailored to serving the unique needs of the healthcare industry with focus areas in HIT, nursing, life sciences and more. Lastly, Calculated Hire works to support companies across various industries with the more traditional business roles like marketing, accounting, HR, sales and customer service.
As a parent company, Eight Eleven Group provides the operational support to help all three of these organizations excel. The Eight Eleven family of companies often say Relationships are at the center of all we do. This driving mission has been at their core ever since they started in 2000. Just as they value the relationships with clients and consultants, they also value investing in the communities they serve. Thanks to partnerships and workforce transformation program Elevate, they have been able to secure promising careers for emerging professionals from diverse talent pools, US Military veterans and other underserved members of the community. Though their focus areas have continued to mindfully evolve, their unyielding commitment to relationships and the customers’ needs remain consistent and firmly rooted in their core values.
Partnership with Easterseals
Eight Eleven Group is proud to partner with Easterseals Crossroads for the first time as part of their quarterly impact pledge. Thanks to the partnership, Easterseals will be receiving a financial donation from Eight Eleven Group that will match each gift given during the end of year campaign to further support efforts to help individuals with disabilities and their families live better lives. In addition to this matching gift sponsorship, the group has been collaborating with Easterseals Crossroads for informative webinars that educate their employees about the challenges faced in the workplace by many professionals with disabilities. Through these eye-opening conversations, the group hopes to foster better understanding and accommodation for those who need it most. They will continue to encourage employees to get involved through volunteering as they maintain their commitment to finding new ways to support the community.
Committed to Giving Back
Throughout the year each of the group’s markets participate in small local philanthropic endeavors from working at food kitchens, holding donation drives and cleaning parks. This is possible thanks to their VTO hours where each employee is given eight hours of paid time off a quarter to volunteer with an event or organization. Each year they also send roughly 30 of employees to Mexico on a home building service trip. Last year they were able to build houses for two separate families in need.
In September of 2022, they held their fifth annual E3 Day of Service, a nationwide day of volunteering for the whole organization. Across the nation, their markets partnered with local philanthropies to help support the communities they serve. Our HQ partnered with Million Meal Movement to raise $16,058 for the organization and pack 23,000 individual meals. The year of 2022 marked a few new beginnings for Eight Eleven, including the start of Eleven Days of Giving, a veteran-focused campaign that counts down to Veterans Day by donating $55,000 to eleven different organizations who are equally committed to supporting the military community.
The year 2022 also marked the start of their quarterly impact, a pledge to donate to a national organization aligned with one of their employee-led connection groups each quarter. So far, they have donated $44,051 to YearUp, an incredible organization helping young adults gain access to meaningful careers and futures; $45,212 for 4Ocean, an ocean cleanup company dedicated to ending the ocean plastic crisis; and $50,000 to The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and mental health organization for LGBTQ young people.
Making our Community a Better Place
Eight Eleven Group strives daily to create a culture that attracts, retains and grows people from all backgrounds. By taking great pride and responsibility in constantly improving their methods, they can maintain an environment that fosters diversity, equity and inclusion. Through their inclusive pipelines of talent, they build teams reflective of their communities celebrating differences and aligning with both the goals of their partners and core values. With service being one of those core values, the group understands how important the work of philanthropic organizations is to the communities served. Indianapolis holds a special place in their hearts as it has been the home of their humble beginnings in 2000 and now home to their national headquarters. Supporting Easterseals Crossroads and the Indianapolis community is a true honor for the group and having 30+ offices around the country gives them an opportunity to make a broader impact.
Looking Ahead
Eight Eleven Groups elevates our community by providing better employment opportunities and experiences for professionals with disabilities. As an organization whose operations revolve around the hiring process, building diverse teams and providing individuals with promising careers, they are always looking for better ways to ensure a welcoming environment regardless of one’s background. This is key as to the partnership with Easterseals Crossroads since we have been helping individuals with disabilities and their families live better lives for more than 85 years. The group also saw this partnership as an opportunity to increase the awareness and education of their own employees as well as clients about challenges and misconceptions that many professionals with disabilities face.
Eight Eleven Group is encouraged by Easterseals work to help adults with disabilities who are seeking meaningful employment opportunities. Through awareness and education, the group hopes to better their own efforts in supporting these underserved individuals. The Eight Eleven family of companies’ core business operations revolve around professional services and consulting. By partnering with Easterseals Crossroads, they know they can combine efforts and grow the employment offerings for professionals of all backgrounds.
Although this is Eight Eleven Group’s first time working with Easterseals Crossroads, they are aware of our agency’s commitment to enriching the lives of the Indianapolis community. This is especially true when it comes to the ability to provide resources and training that help individuals learn, grow, develop and thrive.
