At Thermopylae Sciences & Technology, we take a hands-on approach to giving by empowering and motivating every employee to give back at all times.

For many companies, the idea of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is something that is often siloed within the organization – where the concept of giving does not necessarily permeate throughout the entire workforce.  This is not the case at Thermopylae.

We have an effort called thermopylaeCARES, which is a unique CSR program created specifically for Thermopylae employees as a vehicle to support the charities that are important to them.  It offers all Thermopylae employees and their families "Cool And Really Engaging Service" opportunities to help those less fortunate in the communities where we live and work.

Our culture of giving has even captured the attention of the business community in the Washington, D.C. area.  For example, last year, the Washington Business Journal named Thermopylae one of the Top Corporate Philanthropists in the region.

In addition, the annual MassMutual Citizenship awards, which are hosted by the Washington Business Journal, recognized Thermopylae's partnership with the Marine Corps Toys For Tots program as one of four finalists for the 2014 Corporate Philanthropist award.

When the Marine Corps needed help collecting toys, Thermopylae launched "Operation Toys For Tots" to manage the pickup and distribution logistics of toys from over 70 business locations throughout Northern Virginia.

We used Google Apps to collect location information from each of the collection points and then Google Maps for Business to visualize the data and plan the routes. The operation ultimately delivered over 15,000 toys to the Toys For Tots warehouse in Fredricksburg VA, where they were then sorted and distributed to thousands of families and children in time for the holidays.

"The partnership with the Marine Corps Toys For Tots program was driven by our passion for helping children in need and accomplishing the impossible,” said Michael Cachine, CIO, TST. "We were presented with the challenge of literally turning part of our business into Santa's workshop overnight! Then becoming toy collecting elves for 3 weeks to help out the Marines and thousands of kids. How cool is that?"

Indeed, this is very cool.  This award is a shining example of how at every turn of life, whether it is a natural disaster, a tragic event on the home front or simply the holidays, we offer a culture of 24/7 giving, which allows everyone in the organization to reap the benefits of doing good, while doing well.