Tag: charity

Security Engineered Machinery Gives Back to America’s VetDogs

October 7, 2021 at 7:21 pm by Amanda Canale

Security Engineered Machinery Co., Inc. (SEM), global leader in high security information end-of-life solutions, take teamwork, philanthropy — and dogs! — very seriously. Due to the company-wide love for these four-legged friends and utmost appreciation for those in the military, SEM employees banded together to select America’s VetDogs as their next charity opportunity.

The entire SEM and Merchants Fabrication, Inc. team spent the last two weeks of September rallying together to raise funds for America’s VetDogs, a 501©3 charity whose mission is to provide renewed independence to US Veterans, active-duty members, and first responders with disabilities. The dogs are trained and placed by the organization at no cost to the individual. 

SEM Employees with yellow labrador dog

Together, SEM and MFI were able to donate $1,450 to the organization. 

“Our company was founded by a veteran, and we work very closely with all branches of the military,” says Andrew Kelleher, SEM President. “And if you know anyone at SEM, you know that it is no secret that we love dogs here. This charity opportunity was a fun, inclusive, and unique way to honor and help those that have given so much to our country.”

To make things even more exciting, SEM team banded together to create a raffle to drive fundraising stakes. The raffle, by which employees “purchased” tickets through making donations to VetDogs, included such items as a dog gift basket, Bruins tickets, restaurant gift cards, and more.

“Everyone here loves a good competition so we decided to partner with SEM’s management team to create gift baskets that we could raffle off as a way to help drive more money to this great cause,” says Amanda Canale, Marketing Assistant. “And it worked! People were very engaged and we were able to donate a substantial amount to this great cause.”

To learn more about America’s VetDogs, visit www.vetdogs.org.

Security Engineered Machinery Donates to Local Eagle Scout Project for Children

February 6, 2020 at 6:48 pm by Paul Falcone

 

Benjamin Duby with his constructed Gaga Ball Pit.

Security Engineered Machinery donated monetary funds to the Eagle Scout project of Benjamin Timothy Duby of Worcester, MA. The project, which began in late 2019, was to construct a Gaga Ball Pit for the students of Wawecus Road School in Worcester, MA to be able to use during recess. Duby recruited family members and friends to aid in the construction after securing the funding from SEM and additional partners.

Benjamin worked as an intern for SEM in the past in both the manufacturing and shipping departments between his own school semesters. In his initial proposal for the project and funding, Duby stated: “Being a small elementary school, there is little budget for a playground and I noticed that another school one mile away had a playground that was much larger and more extensive. Building these pits will provide kids with a safe game to play at recess and a way to stay active.”

The pit, known as a Gaga Ball Pit, is a last person standing arena game where players of all ages bounce a ball towards each other in an attempt to make contact with a player below their legs. If a player is hit by the ball, they are out of the game, and this continues until there is a single player remaining.

“We’ve seen the work ethic and values that Benjamin holds when he has assisted us through his internship,” said Andrew Kelleher, President and CEO of SEM. “Therefore, when he asked if we were willing to help him and the children of Wawecus Road School, it was a very easy decision to make.”

Throughout the 52 years they have been in business, SEM has consistently given back to the community they’ve called home for the last half a century. In the last few months alone, SEM has donated hundreds of pounds of food to the Worcester County Food Bank, provided over 80 toys for less fortunate children from Westborough, MA over the holidays, and built a log cabin playhouse for a local veteran family.

Mr. Duby completed his Eagle Scout project on December 13th and passed the Eagle Scout board of review on January 28th, which is no small feat for a scout to achieve.