Jan 7, 2020

Ornstein-Schuler’s Commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility for 2019 and Beyond

Looking back on 2019 and looking ahead to 2020, we’re reminded of a quote from Nobel Peace Prize award-winner and renowned South African Anglican cleric Desmond Tutu who once said, “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”

These words capture one of the guiding principles of our company and our belief that as Americans, and as members of the global community, each of us has a responsibility to do our small part to help make the world a better place and to support those who are less fortunate.  While our individual impacts may seem small at times, all of us collectively have the ability to make a very real difference.  It’s why we encourage our team members to stay engaged in their local communities and why as a firm, we make corporate social responsibility a year-around priority. 

This past year Ornstein-Schuler Investments (OSI) was proud to once again support a wide variety of important initiatives both in our home state of Georgia, as well as across the country and abroad.  The 2019 year started with our city of Atlanta proudly hosting Super Bowl LIII, but it came with the recognition that high-profile sporting events can also attract human traffickers who are a cancer on our society. 

That is why OSI was proud to support “Operation Underground Railroad,” which is a non-profit that assists governments around the world in the rescue of human trafficking and sex trafficking victims, with a special focus on children.  We are grateful to those who worked so diligently to keep our communities safe, and help make the Super Bowl a success, while taking significant efforts to protect the most vulnerable in our society. 

We also supported a number of other great Georgia-based organizations including

“A Welcome Home Animal Rescue” (AWHAR), an Atlanta-based 501(c)(3) created for the purpose of helping homeless, hurt and/or abandoned animals, as well as Hillels of Georgia which serves more than 6,000 students across our state.  Another wonderful Atlanta-based organization we were pleased to support was Wellspring Living, which serves survivors of childhood sexual exploitation and is devoted to empowering domestic sex trafficking victims as well as those at risk.

Among the other US-based organizations OSI and its employees supported with financial contributions included:

The OSI team also understands, as many do, that charitable endeavors should not be limited to our local communities, and particularly with so many around the world who need help.  This past year for example reminded us of the devastating impact of natural disasters with the destruction wrought by Hurricane Dorian on the Bahamas.  In its aftermath, OSI made a donation to Team Rubicon, which was one of several great US-based charities that sprang into action.  Team Rubicon is a disaster relief organization that mobilizes veterans and enables them to leverage their experience to help people respond to and recover from humanitarian crises and natural disasters.

OSI was also pleased to support several other non-profits doing great work abroad including, “Helping Children of Venezuela” (HCOV), which is based in Alpharetta, Georgia and has developed innovative means to distribute important medical and food supplies that save the lives of innocent children.  In addition, while OSI has been helping provide youth scholarships in Georgia, we were proud to help extend these efforts globally by supporting an organization called Jamaica’s Promise Foundation, which provides educational scholarships to graduates on the island in pursuit of a post-secondary education.

Finally, with the national defense of our country an ever-present challenge and need, we are reminded of how important it is to support America’s Veterans, as well as the many, currently-serving men and women. OSI was proud to support a weekend retreat in November for some of our nation’s heroes and their families on a property with a conservation easement called Rock Fence.  In partnership with The Barn Group Land Trust and the Wounded Warrior Project, OSI has ensured this property will provide continuing opportunities for Veteran families to come together on the property for recreation and general outdoor relaxation. 

As always, thank you to the clients, OSI team members, and people whose daily job and volunteer efforts help make all of these charitable endeavors possible.

###