Farmington, CT (25 January 2023 ) Since 2009, KBE Building Corporation has embraced a deep commitment to supporting area communities through philanthropic giving.
In January 2022, this long-standing philanthropic initiative took a giant leap forward with the creation of The KBE Foundation * (www.kbefoundation.org), a non-profit public charity under IRC sections 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1).
Now, one year later, the KBE Foundation marks a new level of giving, with 2022 donations bringing the overall philanthropic gift total to $4 million in direct donations and pro-bono services since 2009, along with thousands of employee volunteer hours. This community support has been provided over the years to hundreds of not-for-profits throughout Connecticut, Maryland, Arizona, and New York, where the firm has its regional offices
“The idea for the KBE Foundation grew out of KBE’s ‘50 Ways to Make a Difference’ philanthropy program, which KBE launched in 2009 to celebrate its then-50-year anniversary,” explains Robert Dunn, Esq., president of The KBE Foundation. “Making a difference in the communities where KBE works has long been a corporate mission. The KBE Foundation is providing a formal framework for our many philanthropic activities.”
Among the charitable events and donations sponsored by the KBE Foundation in 2022 were:
- The Annual Technical High School Scholarship Program for graduating seniors in the Connecticut Technical High School system who are pursuing trade and construction management careers, with $114,000 in scholarships provided to 101 seniors since 2015.
- Gift of Gobble, Thanksgiving’s on Us: The Foundation provided nearly 500 full Thanksgiving meals to families in Connecticut and Maryland through this annual program. Since 2009, more than 4060 families have been enjoyed a full Thanksgiving dinner courtesy of the Foundation.
- The Special Olympics Unified Fishing Derby, held each summer in Farmington, CT, received both financial support, with KBE Foundation as the founding event sponsor, and the volunteer time of nearly a dozen KBE staff and their families. The Foundation has supported the program as its founding sponsor since 2019.
- Connecticut veterans and their families benefited this past year – for the fourth year running – from the Foundation’s provision of several hundred free lunches prepared by Mission Barbeque for a special day at the Veterans Center in Newington, CT.
- Each month, company staff at KBE Building Corporation, along with a corporate match, raise funds through small donations in exchange for dress-down Fridays. Those dollars have been donated each month to a not-for-profit in Arizona, Connecticut, Maryland, and New York. This year’s donations totaled nearly $5,000, with total dollars raised through staff and company match of nearly $80,000 since the program started in 2011. The donation program enables the Foundation to provide small grants to numerous non-profits to help support their missions of care.
Staff from KBE Building Corporation, Elite Construction Resources, and CMP Exterior – along with their families – gathered before Thanksgiving this past November in Farmington, CT to assemble more than 400 Thanksgiving food baskets to donate to community agencies around the state. The annual program is one of many sponsored by The KBE Foundation.