Omron's Founders Day makes a lasting impact on the community

Every year on May 10, more than 38,000 Omron employees around the world celebrate the founding of the company by participating in volunteer events.

This year the employees selected The Harbour House in Des Plaines, the youth homeless shelter and transitional housing facility, as their community service site.

"It's really exciting to see how our collective actions directly reflect the Omron company mission: 'To improve lives and contribute to a better society.'

I think we have developed a great relationship with The Harbour because our values are very similar - we care about people that are in need and we want to make a lasting positive impact in the community," said Dan Armentrout, Sales Solution Manager at Omron Automation Division in Hoffman Estates.

About 15 Omron employees rolled up their shirt sleeves and volunteered on Founders Day at The Harbour House in Des Plaines. Their volunteer Spring clean-up included gardening, painting interior rooms and organizing within the house.

Mark Schmidt, an Omron employee, found the experience very meaningful. "We learned about The Harbour's mission from the staff," he said. "I found the volunteer work to assist in supporting their needs a rewarding and fulfilling experience for me personally."

In addition, Omron has been a dedicated supporter of The Staffire House in Schaumburg (managed by The Harbour) having done work in every room and every corner of the yard while logging more than 300 hours of community service to keep the house in excellent condition.

"Our employee volunteers are very proud to be helping The Harbour create a safe environment for young people to grow and prosper and ultimately become contributors to society themselves," said Armentrout.

The Omron team contributed approximately 60 hours of facility support (at The Harbour House in Des Plaines) in one afternoon.

"This not only improves our curb appeal to the community but it creates a more beautiful and safe space for our youth. Such support allows us to direct our funds toward the program and the youth where it has the greatest impact," said Kris Salyards, Executive Director, The Harbour, based in Park Ridge.

Bringing people together on a project that allows us to complete a laundry list of activities in such a short amount of time, Salyards added, and is a great space to bring our corporate friends to the not for profit mission and "breeds compassion, laughter, and a sense of accomplishment. This group left the property in much better condition than they found it."

At its Annual Gala in April, 2017, The Harbour presented Omron Foundation and Dan Armentrout with the 2017 Bobby Mayer Commitment to Youth Award for their collective support in maintaining the Schaumburg transitional living property in good condition and for the overall support of the Harbour youth and programs.

The Omron Team reflects the late Bobby Mayer's service to youth and social responsibility.

About The Harbour: Empowering Youth, Developing Futures

Every year approximately 25,000 youth are homeless in Illinois. The Harbour provides residential services to an average of 100 youth per year and an additional 400 referrals for those we cannot serve.

Over 4,000 youth have received services since The Harbour opened its doors in 1975. As we embark on a new strategic plan, The Harbour has a vision to continue to reach into the community to serve more youth and provide them with the tools to help them achieve a stable future.

The Harbour, a 501©3 organization, provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, and supportive services to youth (girls ages 12-23) who are experiencing homelessness in the north and northwest Chicago suburbs.

It is committed to offering services rooted in the belief that youth must have their basic needs met before they can begin to build a promising future for themselves.

Visit and follow The Harbour on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHarbourInc/

Contact The Harbour's headquarters located at 1440 Renaissance Drive, Suite 240, Park Ridge: 847-297-8540. Or email: help@theharbour.org