Firms giving back: Illinois CPA Society holds 11th annual Day of Service

Santa Monica, California, firm Gumbiner Savett announced that its holiday fundraising campaign will focus on shoe donations this year.

The firm has previously held a toy drive for several years, but it came to the attention of the firm that students of the local Washington Elementary in Lynwood were in need of shoe donations.

Gumbiner will be collecting new shoes (sports and tennis shoes preferred) for kids ages 3 to 12. Cash donations are also being accepted.

Interested parties can contact info@gscpa.com for donation information.

The Illinois CPA Society held its 11th annual CPA Day of Service, still keeping the statewide COVID-19 restrictions and precautions in mind while engaging in smaller charitable activities this fall across Illinois.

Volunteers with matching purple T-shirts participated in a range of activities, assisting at animal shelters, building homes with Habitat for Humanity, cleaning forest preserves, filling local food banks, growing community vegetable gardens, and raising money running virtual 5Ks were just some of the actions taken as volunteers tried to give back to their communities.

“Our annual CPA Day of Service is meant to be an opportunity for volunteers to come together and connect with their local communities and organizations to make a positive, long-lasting impact," said Todd Shapiro, Illinois CPA Society president and CEO, in a statement. "The coming together part was certainly a challenge this year, but we couldn’t be more proud of all the efforts our volunteers took to safely and creatively spend time supporting the causes and communities they care about when the need has seemingly never been greater."

Organizations supported by the CPA Day of Service this year include Barb’s Precious Rescue & Adoption Center in Palatine, Bernie’s Book Bank in Lake Bluff, Boys and Girls Clubs of Springfield, Cook County Forest Preserves, Feed My Starving Children in Aurora and Schaumburg, Habitat for Humanity in Morris, Keeping Families Covered in Waukegan, Tinervin Family Foundation in Bloomington, and Will County Children’s Advocacy Center.

New York/New Jersey firm MSPC CPAs and Advisors helped raise $18,000 this year, benefitting the Children’s Specialized Hospital Foundation.

After raising $10,000 in 2019 to mark the firm's 75th-anniversary, firm employees decided on a pledged-back activity of their choosing this year, inspired by MSPC partner Jim Flannery (pictured), who completed a 1.25-mile “Escape from Alcatraz" charity swim.

“It was truly amazing to see business partners, family members, friends, and coworkers come together to support one another to benefit a great organization," said Stephanie Nobre, co-chair of MSPC’s CSR Committee, in a statement. "We were able to raise an extraordinary amount towards the Children’s Specialized Hospital during a pandemic, imagine all we can accomplish together in the future."

“2020 has been a challenging year for everyone," added MSPC managing partner Jon Gagliardi. "It’s important to remember that there are kids facing serious health issues and they shouldn’t be forgotten in the chaos of the pandemic. We are proud of the fact that with a little creativity, we were able to support their mission as part of our ongoing commitment to the charity."