Pay It Forward is one of our six values here at ReluTech and it’s one of my personal favorites that I believe our employees truly live out. It brings together our small community, while also helping us reach out to the communities that surround us. In light of the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others, we felt a strong pull to organize an event centered on giving back to important organizations in our own backyard. We couldn’t just sit and do nothing; we wanted to spread awareness, start important conversations, and give back in any way we could.
In mid-June, we held a seven-day fundraising event that led into a celebration of Juneteenth with a 5K run, walk, or bike. We called this virtual team the Justice League Runs for Justice! All the proceeds were donated to the Georgia Black United Fund – an incredible coalition of organizations in Georgia that provide resources to address issues and support organizations that address the missing or inadequate life elements in under-served communities.
On the last day of the week, which fell on Juneteenth, our team got outside and got active. Although we couldn’t all be together for the 5K, our teammates did their part and ran, walked, or swam a 5K in celebration of an important date in American history. Juneteenth, otherwise known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States.