Davey Tree Flipbooks

10 THE DAVEY BULLETIN | July/August 2024 EMPLOYEES VOLUNTEER TIME AT THE GIVING GARDEN Residential/Commercial services' Portland, Maine office employees Ian Baxter, foreman, Matt Plummer, assistant district manager, and Cody Updike, trimmer, recently pruned apple and plum trees at Gorham Middle School's Giving Garden, located in Gorham, Maine. The Giving Garden was started by Heather Whitaker over ten years ago, a teacher at Gorham Middle School. Students and volunteers help with the garden throughout the summer by weeding and picking the fruits and vegetables. The produce is then donated to a local food pantry at the end of the growing season, which resulted in 840 pounds in donations last year. "My son goes to that school. That's part of the reason it feels good to help," Plummer said. "It also goes along with supporting a friend, Heather. She works hard to keep this garden going, and she does a great job with it." STEWARDSHIP EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS ON ALLYSHIP AND MORE ON LMS New training videos available on the Davey Learning Management System (LMS) aim to educate employees about our diverse employee population. The videos were created by Davey's Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) team with support and input from the champions of Davey's Employee Affinity Groups, which include the Women's+, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and Hispanic and Latino(A) groups. "I would encourage people to get to know their teammates YOU SHOULD KNOW Ian Baxter is pictured moving the bucket into place to start pruning. on another level, because you learn about things that happen in their history or background, and it can give you a clearer understanding of some of the things someone or their family member may experience," said Valerie Phillips, senior human resources partner and Davey JEDI committee member. The diversity training videos put Davey at the forefront of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the green industry, said Cindy Schwab, Residential/Commercial services operations talent manager. "It helps set expectations, and gives leaders an opportunity to learn soft skills and about other people's cultures," Schwab said. "Learning how to empathize with others, and see life through their lens, helps people be inclusive and understand that not everyone's path has been the same." Quinn Sparks, human resources partner, said the training encourages employees to embrace intersectionality – the idea that individuals hold multiple identities that intersect and influence their experiences. "These videos help create more awareness and celebrate and embrace those intersectional ties, and can help employees challenge their own perspectives and educate them on how to promote a psychologically safe environment for their teammates." New diversity, equity and inclusion training videos on the Davey LMS cover: "Black History Month," "How to be an Ally" (also available in Spanish), "How to Avoid Bias in Talent Recruiting and Retention," "Power and Pride: The Origins of Pride Month," and "Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month."

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