2023 has been quite the year… So much has happened! So much has changed! Although the end of the year can be bittersweet, we’re so excited to see what’s in store for the future.

In this edition of the ProctorioBlog, we’ll cover what we’ve been able to do in support of our local community, volunteering in and around the Salt River Valley, over the past year.

At Proctorio, we are committed to lending a helping hand to our local community, whether it be once a month or every weekend. We believe even the smallest things make a difference. In honor of the New Year, we’d like to share what our team has accomplished and what we plan to do in the future to create a more fortunate neighboring community.

Our community service initiatives acknowledged the demands of those in need, including…

Writing affirmation cards to local children with Free Arts. In cooperation with Free Arts, our team brought out all the stops to create beautiful and inspiring affirmation cards to support local children who have experienced abuse, neglect and/or homelessness, making for a positive team-building experience with an incredible impact.

Working with Creighton Community Foundation, House of Refuge, and St. Vincent de Paul to build garden beds, landscape and weed, water, plant, and harvest fruits and veggies. Understanding the influence of food scarcity, poor nutrition patterns, and food access barriers, Creighton Community Foundation, House of Refuge, and St. Vincent de Paul inspired us to work together to help remove those barriers by collaborating in their respective garden spaces to cultivate fresh food for the community.

Hosting a backpack and school supply drive with Homeless Engagement Lift Partnership (H.E.L.P.), and a Heat Relief Drive with Valley of the Sun United Way (VSUW). Supporting at-risk, displaced, and homeless students with the tools they need to succeed for the upcoming school year, and collecting heat-relief items in the midst of Arizona in the summer are two of our go-to volunteer opportunities because they hit so close to home. By doing our part to ease the burdens of the homeless with H.E.L.P. and VSUW, we’re working towards a future of restored hope.

Cleaning and picking up litter at South Mountain with Keep Nature Wild. Proctorio is committed to reducing its carbon footprint, so sustainability and keeping the planet clean and green are top priority. From sponsoring highway cleanup to powering our office solely by solar panels, we are dedicated to being an eco-conscious company. Having worked with Keep Nature Wild for a handful of projects, we partnered with them to host a clean-up at South Mountain for Earth Day. A cool fact about them is that for every item (all of which are sustainably sourced) purchased from their website, they’ll pick up one pound of trash.

Packing food for hungry children around the world with Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), and sorting food items into categories and boxes for local churches and homeless communities with St. Vincent de Paul. By packing 147 boxes with FMSC (which adds up to 31,752 meals) for hungry children in Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines, and sorting food items into boxes for local churches and homeless communities with St. Vincent de Paul, we were able to turn hunger into hope for people both locally and globally.

Adopting families in need around the holidays with Adopt-A-Family. With many Arizona residents facing significant challenges accessing health care, reliable food supplies, housing, and transportation, the holidays can be especially difficult to maintain a happy, healthy family. Phoenix’s Adopt-A-Family program matches groups like us with families in need, who would otherwise not be able to celebrate the holidays, making for a truly special time of year.

All in all, we are proud of what we’ve been able to do for the Valley and grateful for the opportunity to make a difference, and we hope to accomplish even more in 2024, both in terms of community service and Proctorio feature releases! With the help of Percent Pledge, we can organize and work together even more than previously to host community service events that everyone will enjoy, everytime.