OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR COMMUNITIES
Granite’s commitment to Community Involvement is embedded within our mission and culture. This dedication to serve is reflected within our Promise to our communities.
We promise to conduct our business in an exemplary manner, to add value to the neighborhoods in which we |  | |
live and work. We will create and maintain real estate properties of which you can be proud. We will share our talents and resources to make the world a better place. We will make a difference. Community Investments
Our investment in our communities includes a variety of programs including employee volunteer hours, monetary donations including a donation-matching program and a focused approach with a few company sponsored events with Key Partners.
Volunteer Hours
Granite employees are encouraged to volunteer their time to non-profit organizations to make a difference in our communities. Granite offers company-sponsored volunteer events and also encourages employees to volunteer at schools or nonprofits in their own charitable or community interest areas. Granite supports these efforts by the following programs:
Employees are eligible to use up to forty (40) hours a year, inclusive of travel time, to volunteer at non-profit organizations to create general goodwill for Granite and our employees in the communities in which we work and live. Employees may use up to twenty (20) of these hours to volunteer at a personal non-profit organization that is of special interest to the employee, such as:
· Church involvement (boards, committees, special events)
· School involvement (committees, special events, field trips, surprise reader)
· Organization involvement (cub scouts, girl scouts, etc)
· Cause events (time spent fund raising, running, walking, biking for a cause)
Matching Program
Granite will match dollar for dollar charitable donations:
· Made by full-time employees with a minimum of one year of service
· Minimum amount matched per employee is $25
· Maximum dollar amount matched per employee annually is $100
· Contributions must be made via cash, check, or credit card to be eligible for matching
· All matched gifts will be paid quarterly
Entry Fee Reimbursement
Granite will reimburse an Employee their entry fee to participate in a charity event of $15 per event up to a maximum of $75 per year.
Company Sponsored Events
Granite has taken a focused approach by partnering with a few Key Partners in order to provide a considerable impact. These partnerships are aligned with our company values and goals. With the continued growth in participation and contributions through additional Corporate Partnerships such as tenants and vendor/business partners these events and partners have seen a significant impact through this involvement.
Granite’s Key Partners are the following:
DALLAS CHARITY
BOMA Adopt-A-Block
| BOMA which stands for Building Owners & Managers Association holds an annual adopt-a-block event.
Last year the adopt-a-block was held on April 25th. A total of 15 Graniteers met at a pre-determined home to clean the landscaped areas, trim trees, replace rotten wood and trim on the house, and scrape and paint the house. This was a great opportunity for Granite employee to make a difference in our community. Granite looks forward to participating in adopt-a-block again in 2010! | | 
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MS150 Race
| Each year, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society conducts its MS bike tour fund raiser, a 2-day bike ride scheduled throughout the year in different cities. Texas has the largest chapter, the Lone Star Chapter, with bike tours in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. In 2009, the North Texas Ride started at Rough Riders Stadium and rode to Texas Motor Speedway. Granite Dallas was represented in the MS150 race held on May 2 & 3, 2009 and raised $8,000 that all went towards the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. | | 
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Susan G. Komen For The Cure® North Texas
The Plano Komen race was held on June 6, 2009. This is the first year Granite Dallas has participated in this race. There were 11 participants including Granite employees, family and friends. Instead of a t-shirt for this event, the Team Leader held an employee contest for a visor logo. The winning logo, “Granite is Making a Difference…Are You?” was submitted by Annette Valle-Cobos. A total of $6,415 was raised in donations including $5,000 from Granite. As fundraisers, the team, “Granite on the Go” ranked 6th out of 329 teams. |
Texas Children’s Medical Center
From May 18th- 21st Granite employees assembled activity boxes for patients at Children’s Medical Center. The boxes contained monkey finger puppets and corresponding book, wood art, marker pens and recycle paper chain frames for the children to enjoy. Cash donations were received in the amount of $195. A portion of this money was used towards buying materials for the boxes and $120 was put in reserve and will be used for a future medical center project.
Granite held a new book/DVD drive to collect new Disney books or DVD’s. During June and July these items were delivered to the medical center for the children to enjoy. Later this year, Granite will be participating in clothing and toy drives.
A cash donation was made by Granite to the medical center in the amount of $10,000.
JDRF Walk
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International is the leader in research leading to a cure for type 1 diabetes in the world. It sets the global agenda for diabetes research, and is the largest charitable funder and advocate of diabetes science worldwide. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research.
2009 was the 8th year Granite Dallas hosted the Collin County JDRF walk at our Granite Park office park. We also sponsored the Kidsville carnival tent on the day of the walk. Most of our Dallas employees also participate in this event each year either by fundraising, volunteering or walking. In 2009, we raised over $38,000 for JDRF – we asked our vendors to sponsor our team t-shirt; nominated employees to race each other in a trike race; held a ginormous garage sale; and challenged our employees to solicit walker donations.
The 2010 Collin County JDRF Walk will be held at Granite Park once again on Saturday, September 25th.
IREM Hearts and Hammers
| The Institute of Real Estate Management has a committee called the Community Outreach Committee that supports many charities including Hearts and Hammers. The mission of Hearts and Hammers is to refurbish qualified homes owned by low income citizens within the Dallas Metroplex. Hearts and Hammers worked toward their mission by recruiting volunteers to work on Saturday, September 19, 2009. Many Granite employees volunteered at the work day and enjoyed the opportunity to help refurbish many homes in the Dallas area! | | 
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HOUSTON CHARITY
| MS150 Race
Each year, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society conducts its MS bike tour fund raiser, a 2-day bike ride scheduled throughout the year in different cities. Texas has the largest chapter, the Lone Star Chapter, with bike tours in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. The MS bike tour offers cyclists of all levels a chance to use their passion for riding to support a worthy cause. For the seventh year in a row, Team Granite with teams in both Houston and Dallas took part in these events and raised over $77,000 in | | 
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donations for these rides. Since taking up the cause, Team Granite has raised over $467,000 to support MS research, delivering on our promise to make a difference in our communities. Do you want to help make a difference? Check out http://www.nationalmssociety.org for more information or http://www.bikems.org to sign up. If you think you’ve got what it takes to be on Team Granite, contact Mary Butler at mbutler@graniteprop.com.
United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Houston
On July 8, 2009, Houston Granite employees and friends hosted a day at the Astros Minute Maid ball park for the United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Houston adult program. Fifteen members of United Cerebral Palsy of Greater North Houston were treated to a fun-filled afternoon at the ball park with hot dogs, hamburgers, snacks, and drinks.
Richmond State School
The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) operate state schools and centers. These facilities provide campus-based direct services and support to people with mental retardation. Residential services in state schools and centers serve people with severe or profound mental retardation and people with mental retardation who are medically fragile or who have behavioral problems. A Granite volunteer work day was set up for RSS on June 29, 2009. RSS have horses that are used for therapy for their students. At the work day, Granite employees helped prepare the horses’ stalls and assist with any maintenance the horses require.
In November, employees helped paint holiday signs that will be used as part of RSS’s Holiday Displays during the month of December and employees will have an opportunity to help wrap holiday gifts that were donated to the residents of RSS.
| Texas Children’s Medical Center
Throughout 2009, Granite employees participated in several events where goodies were purchased and delivered to the children and staff to celebrate summer and fall activities. In December of 2009, Granite hosted a holiday party on the 11th floor of Children’s for their staff and patients. Since Granite has adopted this floor, Graniteers have volunteered to read and mentor the children. | |  | |
| Granite celebrated Nurses Week, May 6th-9th, by delivering breakfast and lunch to the 11th floor. Granite also donated a microwave oven to this floor for all nurses and staff members to use.
Granite holds a clothing drive each year at our different building locations so that patients and family members of Children’s that can not leave the hospital, have clothes to change into. Granite also held a book/DVD drive and a toy drive to make donations to Children’s. | |  | |
JDRF
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International is the leading charitable funder and advocate of type 1 (juvenile) diabetes research worldwide. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. This is the first year Granite Houston participated in the JDRF walk. More than 40 Graniteers, tenants, friends and family members participated in the Houston walk held on September 26, 2009. Over $6,100 was raised by our walkers and 20 volunteers hosted activities such as face painting, karaoke and bean bag toss at the Granite sponsored Children’s Activity Tent.
Susan G. Komen For The Cure® Houston
Susan G. Komen is the world's largest and most progressive grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists. This is the first year Granite Houston participated in the Komen walk. Granite walkers raised over $2,300 for the charity which was held on October 3, 2009 at the Sam Houston Park downtown.
| Annual IREM Bowl-A-Thon
On June 26th, 2009, Granite employees Daniel Woods (The Wolf) and Susan Carpenter, Delilah Perez and Mary Butler (Three Little Piggies) joined 20 other bowling teams for the annual IREM Bowl-A-Thon. Each year a theme is chosen and everyone dresses up for the occasion. The theme for 2009 was Nursery Rhymes and Super heroes. Daniel for the second year in a row “blew” the competition away by winning best costume as The Wolf. The proceeds from the bowl-a-thon benefit the IREM scholarship fund. | | 
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DENVER CHARITY
| Denver Public School Partner Program
Granite Denver has participated, as sponsor to Johnson Elementary, in the Denver Public Schools School Partner Program since 2007. In the 2008-2009 school year, they had three main projects. Granite provided the school with tri-fold boards for the school science fair. This simple donation resulted in a huge increase in science fair participation (over 80% from under 10% previously) because the cost of the board was previously an extra expense for students. Granite received an amazing scrapbook from the school with photos from the fair and letters of thanks from the children. | | 
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Granite chaperoned the children at Johnson Elementary to a Cinco De Mayo program at the local high school. The students learned about the holiday and listened to an energetic performance by a mariachi band.
| Granite provided over $700 worth of plants, seeds, soil, birdhouses and shovels to Johnson for a new community garden. The garden was featured in the Denver Urban Gardens Spring Newsletter; in addition to being a learning tool and a place of beauty, the garden has helped feed many of the families in the Johnson community.
Granite Denver's relationship with Johnson Elementary will continue in the 2009-2010 school year. Granite held a school supply drive, supplying the school with hundreds of dollars worth of supplies this fall. Granite will again supply the tri-fold boards for the science fair, and will also volunteer at a school event. | | 
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Children's Hospital
Granite Denver contributes significantly to Children’s Hospital each year. 2009 has been no different with participation in both the Courage Classic and the Annual Gala. The Courage Classic is a 3-day, 157-mile bicycle tour through the Colorado Rockies. Stephanie Lawrence, our Managing Director in Denver, rode with the commercial real estate team Research Riders raising $5,500 to specifically fund the hospital’s research efforts. Granite also hosts a table at the annual gala, an event that raises millions of dollars for the hospital. Granite’s level of giving, both of time and financial resources, places it in the Circle of Care of contributors each year.
Roadless Ride
Roadless Ride is a fundraiser to benefit Brent's Place. On April 3, 2009 participants raised money and rode in their choice of 12 one-hour stationary group cycling classes. This event took place at FORZA Fitness and Performance Club which is adjacent to Granite Tower. Brent's Place is a safe and supportive home for kids being treated for cancer, and their families. There was also a silent auction throughout the day to raise additional money for this worthy cause. Granite is a proud sponsor of this fun event. John Lynch Foundation
The John Lynch Foundation is committed to developing leaders by providing encouragement and positive alternatives for young people. The foundation provides programs that reach these students and instill in them the drive to become effective community leaders. Granite provides a financial contribution by hosting a table at the annual fund raising luncheon for this worthy charity.