When twenty Rich’s associates planned and executed a community outreach event at a local school, they never dreamed they would learn so much from a group of children that have so little. While donating supplies and interacting with children at a government school near Rich’s manufacturing plant just outside Pune, India, associates encountered an experienced that was as impactful for the givers as it was for the students on the receiving end of kindness and generosity.  

Rich’s global technology hub, known as the Enterprise Technology Center (ETC), is based out of Baner, Pune. Within that team, a newly formed group of associates called the ETC Impact Builders is dedicated to organizing outreach activities in the community. The Impact Builders were assembled by Prince Adlakha, Manager, Software Engineering, who got inspiration from Rich’s Generations of Good program, his prior experience helping at farms and schools while living in Himalayas, and as an active member of community programs at previous employers. 

“There is great chemistry between my personal motivations and Rich’s Generations of Good program,” said Prince. “I wanted to bring Rich’s culture to the ETC, and I knew that with a larger group we could make a positive impact, not just for the kids, but for our associates as well.” 

On July 4, 2024, twenty Rich’s associates visited a school called Yashwantrao Chavan Prathamik Madyamik Ashram Shala, MIDC, in Bhosari, a subhurb of Pune with a population of just over 250,000 people. The event planning team of Rita Minj, Shubham Deshpande, Dilip Chobisa, Prashant Maulikar, Swathi TV, Sunil Deokule and Salman Dewani, organized activities such as drawing and games to share with some 170 students ages four through sixteen.  

“We thought a government school was a place where we could make a difference,” explained Rita Minj, Manager, IT Procurement. “These schools are full of students from a variety of backgrounds and very humble beginnings.” 

The first half of the day was spent playing, interacting, and talking with the children.  

“We got to learn quite a lot from them,” recalled Rita. “They have such a positive outlook towards life, they are really smart kids, and they have so much to share.”  

In addition to spending time with the children, the team also donated stationery and snacks, and nearly 200 books to set up a small school library. It was important to the associates to expand the book offering to include reading materials outside of the curriculum and government-sponsored books, such as fiction, science, and math.  

Shubham Deshpande, Solution Leader, IS – Service Line, Supply Chain, said the event was planned around three pillars, beginning with donations and delivering an experience to the students by interacting with them.   

“The last piece was to educate them,” explained Shubham. “I think this is something we can continue to build upon for our next event. We’d like to offer the students some career building advice, provide insight into the different fields we work in, and help the students understand how we reached our career aspirations.”