Community and Service
Stepping up to the Challenge
After reading a recent Council Corner, I decided expand upon its content and offer an additional perspective. Public, private partnerships come in varying forms but are built upon a mutual need and benefit matrix. In the case of Foster City, there are a handful of non profits and for profit businesses that choose to engage and build community partnerships that have a profound effect upon our residents. These partnerships benefit the businesses, City, and our residents. Each invests in the other and each gives back to the other to the mutual benefit of all.
By way of example when I was a young and struggling athlete, United Airlines provided me with discounts and liberal flexibility in the booking of my travel. This allowed me to book travel to many countries that I would have been unable to afford. They developed within me a sense of loyalty that persists to this day. I travel exclusively on United Airlines regardless of cost or schedule considerations. These sorts of programs also build a brand by association. United Airlines remains the Olympic Committee's airline and continues to donate substantial funds to our up and coming athletes who dream of Olympic Gold.
I will offer my personal thoughts on community partnerships and the inherent value to all those who participate. It is a vital and crucial part of the economic health and vitality of the City.
Ten years ago when deciding where to place my first location in California, I happened upon Foster City. Its pristine streets and quiet neighborhoods were extremely attractive to us. After walking the neighborhoods, my wife and I decided to start our family here and build two businesses that service the community. Within two weeks of arriving I joined the Chamber of Commerce and reached out to the Foster City Park and Recreation department, and elementary schools. We wanted to invest in the community in which we worked, lived and played.
Together with these organizations, we created a community partnership so that we could sponsor various events that would directly benefit the community that our business served. Each and every year since we continue to build these partnerships and created synergies to maintain existing events and create new events. With the Foster City Park and Recreation department, we sponsor Concerts in the Park, the Foster City Foundation, the Teen Center, neighborhood nights, Halloween fest, Safe Streets, Easter Egg Hunt, and the Fourth of July. As members of the community, we believe these events serve as the backbone of the experiences that our children will remember as they grow into young adults. This year our donations to the City will reach $100,000.
Each year, we sponsor the Chamber of Commerce Art and Wine Festival and its celebration of Foster City's birthday. Additionally, we have created a Champion's Day event at Brewer Island Elementary school that raises over $100,000 a year for much needed programming that the school district does not fund. Finally we sponsor various youth sports groups and teams. The total of these donations exceeds the amount we donate to the City by far. So the question that remains is why should a business invest in its community and what is the return in that investment.
My family and I were fortunate to happen upon a thriving and vital Foster City. Our families value education, safety, and a sense of small town sensibility. We felt that in a large part our business success here was the result of the hard work of the City, its staff and residents who created the environment in which our business prospers. We choose to reinvest and water the tree of prosperity that allows all businesses to succeed and excel in Foster City. We serve as part of a business community that reinvests in the Foster City Foundation so that future children can enjoy the same amenities from years past.
Our commitment to the City is perpetual and continual and in a large part is due to the vision of our future City manager Kevin Miller and current CEO of the Chamber, Joanne Bohigian. These talented individuals understand Foster City's quality of life and the needs of business. As such they are able to create winning partnerships to achieve continued success.
In part I share my observations to explain a philosophy that I hope will continue to gain traction. In my private, public, and business life I lead by example. It has always been my hope that other businesses will see the impact and success of our community partners and choose to join us in our quest to fund programming that enhances the quality of life for our residents.
A City embraces a philosophy that determines what choices it will make regarding the quality of life it will affords its residents. In some cases that philosophy it articulated and memorialized in a mission statement. This then becomes a guiding principle for all decisions and initiatives the City undertakes. Regardless of whether this is manifested in a document or not, Foster City prides itself on providing a safe and welcoming environment for its residents and businesses. This comes at the expenditure of a great amount of time and hard cash. More often than not it requires partners who are willing to donate significant funds, bodies, or volunteer hours. Businesses are an indispensible part of the equation and in many cases go above and beyond the call of duty.
A few weeks ago I noticed that a number of significant partners went unmentioned. These partners are among our most consistent donors and provide much needed funding and volunteer hours that offset our City's budgetary needs and enhance our sense of community. The Rotarians and Lion's Club donate significant dollars and manpower hours for a variety of programs and efforts within our City. This includes our Concert series, schools, and CERT programs. AYSO and Peninsula Youth Soccer have donated over $700,000 to our turf fields. Youth Softball has donated $50,000. Youth sports groups have made an additional commitment to over $500,000 over the next 10 years. The Chamber of Commerce has been a tremendous partner and has also made significant donations in terms of hard cash, volunteer hours and as an organizer of the largest event in our City, our Art and Wine Festival. Perhaps more importantly, the Chamber participated over a 2 year period in the development of an economic sustainability plan.
Leadership is best done by setting an example for others to follow. As a community member, father, coach and elected official, I believe it inherent to set an example for others to join. A community prospers when individuals and businesses give back and feed the future. Businesses within our City choose to locate here because of the quality of our families. It is inherent upon us to reinvest within the community in which we all prosper.
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