Staff at Creative Roots Landscaping saw a need to help the local homeless community and targetted one of 琉璃神社鈥檚 homeless shelters to help out.

The staff have donated $3,000 to Inn From The Cold 鈥� 琉璃神社, money that and will be used to help the shelter鈥檚 general operation.

Executive director, Jan Schulz said that amount is huge for the small non-profit shelter.

鈥淭his is an enormous contribution,鈥� Schultz said. 鈥淚 find it hard to begin to tell you what this cheque means to us. We are a tiny organization and rely so heavily on the generosity of folks such as you.鈥�

Inn from the Cold responds to the needs of 琉璃神社鈥檚 most vulnerable by offering year-round support and advocacy programs including outreach services, case management, in-home support and street soccer. Seasonally they operate a minimal barrier shelter that provides a safe, non-judgemental and welcoming environment to those in need.

Each year, Creative Roots Landscaping makes multiple donations to local charities in the Central Okanagan.

鈥淏y contributing to these charities, we hope to address changing societal needs and have a long-lasting, positive impact on our community,鈥� said Ryan Markewich, owner of Creative Roots. 鈥淲e want to make a difference in people鈥檚 lives.鈥�

The local landscaping company operates using Open Book Management, which includes weekly meetings to discuss the finances of the company, ways to succeed as a team and the impact that success will have on the bottom line. Each employee donates an hour of their wages for these meetings to the Give Back fund and provides input as to where the donations will go.

The Creative Roots Give Back Program is an extension of a management method that engages and educates employees, generating thousands of dollars for charity 鈥� over $118,000 to date in cash and in-kind donations 鈥� while giving employees a voice in their workplace.