Greetings from Malvern Americas in rainy, windy Westborough Massachusetts! Kristen Wilkinson here, giving you a November update. We are getting ready to celebrate and feast tomorrow for Thanksgiving with our family and friends I have just finished dropping off food to the local food pantry, the Worcester County Food Bank.
In the spirit of giving, we had a canned food drive in our office over the past 2 weeks. The holidays are always a special time for all of our employees, spending time with family, eating silly ridiculous amounts of food and celebrating all that we have, but it is important to remember that not all people are as fortunate as we are. I am very proud to announce that we had a lot of enthusiasm in our office, and donated 128 pounds of food to help make sure no one is hungry on the holiday. Here are our brimming full boxes of food:
I was excited to run this food drive, but I knew that the less fortunate don’t just fight hunger on holidays like Thanksgiving; it is an ongoing battle, so Malvern Instruments is also running a fundraising program for the Worcester County Food Bank so that we can give money to them in December. I challenged all of our local employees to donate $1 and tell my why they are thankful for materials characterization. Malvern upped the ante by agreeing to match any employee donation that was $5 or more. I am happy to report that, in the past 2 weeks, our enthusiatic employees have raised $141.44, which includes the Malvern match for 7 different qualifying employee donations!
I also want to give a shout out to a help desk employee across the country in Washington, who is actively volunteering in a local soup kitchen and every Thursday night volunteers in a program for the homeless children in the area. You are doing wonderful things, Tony Ledesma!
I hope you are feeling as inspired as I am by the generosity and thoughtfulness of my colleagues, because I am about to challenge you. I challenge all of you to email me at kristen.wilkinson@malvern.com and tell me why you’re thankful for particle characterization. For every submission, Malvern Instruments will be adding $1 to our monetary donation. So, really, you have nothing to lose and you will be helping to make a difference this holiday season for the less fortunate. Send me your reasons by December 17th, 2013 and I will follow up to let you know how much money our fans have raised! Let’s get 150 submissions — I dare you! In the meantime, let me wish you a safe, filling, and happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate it from all of us at Malvern.
Here’s why some of our employees are thankful:
“Because some of our instruments are being used to develop highly targeted therapies in the fight to find cures for various forms of cancer.”
“Because any company that is working on the physical properties of a golf ball to make it fly straighter and longer, is something I can really get behind.”
“Our equipment keeps manufacturers producing plastic bottles that quench the thirst of millions of people who cannot drink their own water.”
“If the coffee isn’t ground to 620um it isn’t going to wake me up in the morning.”
“I feel like a clinician at a cancer clinic where my ‘patients’ or ‘customers’ are eager to find a ‘solution’ to their ‘illness’. That makes me proud and want to help more.”
“Every time I get into my car or a plane (except for the Comet 4) I’m grateful for materials characterization because it doesn’t fall apart. In the old days windshields would cut you if you were in a crash. Today, they break into little squares and minimize injuries. Tires now use carbon black which adds 3,000 travel miles on average with improved wear, saved costs, and improved safety. Plus, it saves trees in Malaya too—the tires have better performance if they aren’t made with only natural rubber.”
“I am thankful for Materials Characterization at this time of year in particular, as I can be sure the viscosity of my Turkey gravy allows it to flow properly over my mashed potatoes.”
“The Malvern Spraytec is used by auto manufacturers to optimize the droplet size and concentration of fuel delivered to the engine. This helps our cars and motorcycles run smoother, be more fuel efficient and go faster! Vroom.”
