Archive for the ‘Charity’ Category

Stop Hunger Now!

Monday, July 19th, 2010
Our tRP office turns into a massive operation!

Our tRP office turns into a massive operation!

On Saturday, July 17th a big group of our amazing team members came back to the office (on a weekend!) for a day of community service. Working with the  group Stop Hunger Now, our team members (and their families and friends) set after a lofty goal of packaging 150,000 meals in one single day. These meals will be sent to schools and orphanages in Haiti and Swaziland.

The day opened with a training session and intro from the people over at Stop Hunger Now. They showed our group a short video about where the meals were headed and why they were going there. We were all shocked the learn that worldwide, a child dies of hunger every 6 seconds. Stop Hunger Now exists with the purpose to end starvation from hunger in our lifetime. Since we love people with aggressive and, not to mention, socially conscious goals- we knew we had to do whatever we could to help.

With our hair nets on and training complete, we hit the assembly tables to sign up for jobs such as packaging the meals, sealing, running the packages to the weighing station, boxing, labeling, and then getting the boxes onto the truck. Music was playing, and the Stop Hunger now folks made it fun for us by ringing a huge gong every time we hit a milestone of five thousand meals. For two hours, we were having fun and working hard, and huge cheers erupted every time a gong went off.

By the end of our two hour shift, we were spent but were able to take home a sense of accomplishment and pride for a job well done. We were also humbled to know that each package of rice we created each feeds one person for 6 meals (almost a week).
To get involved with Stop Hunger Now visit www.stophungernow.org


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Camp Pendleton Mud Run

Monday, June 21st, 2010
tRP team post Mud Run

tRP team post Mud Run

MUD. Lot’s of it! That’s what the team of 8 Rubicon Project team members from the LA office  experienced on Saturday, June 18th at the Camp Pendleton Mud Run.The Mud Run is a 10K race through mud, water, and obstacles. All proceeds go to the YMCA Armed Services- nice!

After a 5:30 am wake up call, we met at the office and piled into cars to carpool down to Camp Pendleton (close to San Diego). When we arrived, we joined 5,000 other trail runners, military personnel, people in costumes, and lot’s of smiling faces ready to get dirty! In the “chute” (the area where we all gathered waiting to take off on foot) there was a huge dance party and our energy was alive and kicking. After taking off, some of us ran for fun and others ran to compete (nice job Bill Willits who took 7th place!) but we all met up at the end to congratulate one another and relax.

It was a great bonding day for us and honestly, a ton of fun! The best part was the lake swim and the 30 foot Mud Wall crawl. Boot camp? Here we come…

If you or anyone you know is interested in doing the Camp Pendleton Mud Run, you can sign up here : www.camppendletonraces.com/. A great way to support our Armed Services!


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The Cinderella Project

Friday, March 19th, 2010

cinderellaproject1The Rubicon Project is proud to partner with an organization that inspires us, the after school program A Place Called Home. As part of the Cinderella Project, we brought our team together to donate (as well as reach out to family and friends) gently used prom, bridesmaid, or other formal dresses. The dresses then find better homes- to be seen at proms at local high schools. Ahhh the memories.

The Cinderella Project is a Los Angeles-based program dedicated to building the self-esteem of underprivileged teenage girls by providing them with beautiful formal wear for special occasions in their lives. A Place Called Home (APCH) is a haven within South Central Los Angeles dedicated to providing at-risk youth with a secure, positive family environment where they can regain hope and belief, earn trust and self respect and learn skills to lead a productive lifestyle free of the gangs, drugs and poverty that surrounds them.

TO MAKE A DONATION: Please deliver or mail gently used or new dresses, shoes and/or accessories, directly to A Place Called Home/The Cinderella Project c/o Melissa Molina, 2830 S. Central Ave., LA, CA 90011. For questions please call Melissa Molina 323-232-7652 ext 324 or email cinderellaproject@apch.org.


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Battle of the Bands: Industry Support of a Good Cause

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
Our NYC team at Battle of the Bands hosted by Citymeals-on-Wheels

Our NYC team at Battle of the Bands hosted by Citymeals-on-Wheels

There are two things that we love: being involved with groups making a difference and spending time with other industry folks. Our NYC crew came together on Thursday, February 25th to attend and help sponsor a Battle of the Bands fundraiser for Citymeals-on-wheels. Having volunteered with the organization at the end of last year, we knew first hang how important the work they are doing is. We mingled and rocked out to industry bands- all in the name of a good cause. Certainly a night our team will remember!

Citymeals-on-Wheels hand delivers meals to homebound elderly New Yorkers on weekends, holidays, and times of emergency- times when many vulnerable seniors would otherwise go without food. One in four elderly New Yorkers is living alone, too poor to buy food, or too frail to shop and cook. Home delivered meals allow them to keep their independence and dignity while remaining in their own homes and neighborhoods.

Citymeals delivers more than 2.1 million meals each year. There are 17,000 frail New Yorkers who rely on this lifeline of good and human company, and the need is growing everyday. One hundred percent of the ticket sales and sponsorships for this event will be used for the preparation and delivery of meals. Judging by the hundreds of industry folks there- it was a huge success!

Other industry sponsors: Comcast Networks, Turner Broadcasting Systems, A&E Television Networks, Discovery Communications, Fox News, the Neilsen Company, NFL Network, Scripps Networks, GroupM, Hallmark, Invision Inc., NBC Universal, WGN America, ABC Family, BET, Bloomberg, CBS, ESPN, Google, MTV Networks, Rainbow Media, TV One, Univision, Active International, Canoe Ventures, DIRECTV, Fuse TV, Icon International, Ipsos Mendelsohn, Music Choice, SOAPnet, TRA, and Zenith Optimedia. Cheers to them!


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Rock and Roll All Night

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

holiday-party-2009-kurt-spoerer-and-date2On December 5, 2009 the Rubicon Project celebrated two things: the holiday season and our amazing team members (and the people who love them). Every holiday season, the Rubicon Project takes an evening to celebrate a year of hard work, new team members, our relationships with our customers and partners, and a whirlwind of challenges and (of course) solutions! Each year, the party gets a little bit better, as our team grows and new faces get to experience what is undoubtedly our best event of the year.  For 2009,we out did ourselves with the theme. the Rubicon Project channeled our inner prom king and queen and held an 80’s prom, complete with a tubular 80’s cover band and costumes galore. It looked like a prom fashion show right out of the late 80’s, with every costume being better than the next. The band, Neon Nation, rocked music to the tune of the Beastie Boys, Michael Jackson, and Guns and Roses. They nailed the decade with their set list and costumes, while all of us had a hard time believing it wasn’t 1988. After a night of dancing, schmoozing, hilarious costumes (we have the pictures to prove it!), and great memories, one thing is certain- we can’t wait until next year!

Since we always look for creative ways to give back to those in need, we asked all of our team members who came to the party to bring a toy to donate to Toys for Tots, a US Marine Corps sponsored chairty group that organizes a toy drive during the holiday season for children in need. We ended up having so many toys the boxes overflowed, and we are looking to do even better next year! A sincere thank you goes out to our team members for their generosity.  Not only can they hit the dance floor but they also give back when there is a need. Go Rubicon!


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End of Year Wrap-Up in Words, Pictures and Video

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

How do you summarize an entire year at the Rubicon Project? It’s a combination of new technologies, new customers, new partners, new team members, new programs, new initiatives, and a lot of great inspiration and creativity. 2009 proved to be a phenomenal year for our company, we practically doubled the size of our team, added 3 new offices, and continued to focus on developing a strong and innovative company culture. It has always been our goal to create an “experience” not a “job,” and 2009 proved to be the year of excitement and focus.  Some areas of change and impact that we are proud of include:

Community Impact:
Community outreach and service is something that is bred into the DNA of our company and all of the team members we hire. We recognize how fortunate we are, and are committed to giving back to our local community. In 2009, we expanded from local community impact to global community impact. After opening offices in New York, London, and Sydney, we have been able to effect change not only in Los Angeles but internationally as well. Some groups we have volunteered or supported in the last year include: the Midnight Mission (LA), LA’s Best After School Program (LA),  Heal the Bay (LA), Tree People (LA), Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen (NYC), Morgan Stanely Children’s Hospital (NYC), City Meals on Wheels (NYC), Ted Knoff Foundation (SYDNEY), Community Chest (HONG KONG), Toys for Tots (US), NY Cares Coat Drive (NYC), Coach ART (LA),  and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation (US).

Education:
We firmly believe in empowering our team members to take on as much industry knowledge and career skills as possible. The continuation of our Rubicon University program, which takes internal team members who are experts in certain fields and puts them in front of our team-at-large to be a “professor” of sorts, continued to be a big success. This year, the company also invested in a “Rubicon Library”, which houses books (team members make suggestions!) focused on improving management skills, how to inspire others, how to effect change, or how to reach your full potential.

Sports:
In addition, we also saw the creation of Rubicon Project sports teams, which provided some tough competition and a lot of fun memories. Active in the areas of softball, basketball, kickball, tennis, and soccer, the Rubicon Project is proud that our team members take any opportunity to be athletic, have fun, and forge friendships that aren’t just about  “business”.  None of our teams took home a league championship but that is definitely part of our goals for 2010!

Team Development and Bonding:
As a company, we devote resources to providing each manager with a budget for creating and planning team bonding events. It is important to us that our team members feel appreciated and connected to one another, and these events tend to have 100% participation. Whether it’s taking the team out for bowling, a nice dinner, or on a sailing adventure, our team knows what it is like to connect with other team members outside of “work.”

Cheers to 2009, and especially to our wonderful team members, who are the heart and soul of this organization. After looking back at the past year, I think we are all excited for what we will accomplish in 2010!


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Rubicon Project Team Members: A Passionate Bunch

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

Ryan Dranginis at the Cape Cod Challenge

Ryan Dranginis at the Cape Cod Challenge

Recently, one of our outstanding team members, Ryan Dranginis, did a 30 mile paddle on an upright paddle board across the Cape Cod Bay. After 9 hours of paddling, it wasn’t the glory of completing a physically draining mission that proved to be the most gratifying. It was the fact that together his team raised over $30,000 dollars for Christopher’s Haven, an organization that provides a home away from home for children and their families who are receiving cancer treatments at the nearby hospital. Christopher’s Haven is a charitable organization that Ryan is passionate about and wanted to help, and our team rallied behind him to help in any way we could. Over the last 2 years, our team members often find causes they are passionate about and sign up for events to raise money. Everything from a walk for Mothers Against Drunk Driving to Team in Training to raise awareness and money for Leukemia, our team members always amaze us with their willingness to do whatever they can to make a difference. Go team!


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Midnight Mission: Thank you!

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

Every quarter, the Rubicon Project picks a local organization to partner with for our company wide community service project and event. This quarter, we were fortunate to work with the wonderful men and women at the Midnight Mission- a group of folks who inspire us daily by giving their heart and soul to those who need it most.

The Midnight Mission is located in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles and first opened it’s doors as a refuge to the homeless men of Skid Row. For almost a century, the organization has been dedicated to providing outstanding services to homeless men, women, and families who need shelter, food, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, counseling, education, training and job placement.

Our community service event this quarter sent 3 different groups from the Rubicon Project to the Midnight Mission to serve food (and most importantly, big smiles) to folks who call Skid Row “home”. It was an educational, humbling, and very worthwhile experience that none of us will forget.

Quote from David Johnson, a Rubicon Project software engineer:

“I want to thank the Rubicon Project for coordinating this event with the Midnight Mission. It was an enlightening, humbling, and overall very positive experience of which I am glad to have taken part. I thank you for getting the Rubicon Project community involved with such inspiring organizations”.

If you or anyone you know would like to volunteer or donate time to the Midnight Mission, please contact Mai Lee at mlee@midnightmission.org.

the Rubicon Project and the Midnight Mission: What a team!

the Rubicon Project and the Midnight Mission: What a team!




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Support Our Local Schools

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

School’s almost out for the summer but when students return in the fall, they may find themselves out of funding as well. According to this Los Angeles Times article, school districts across California are coping with the $5.3 billion budget cut with teacher layoffs and school closures. Some are even considering shortening the school year, a move that would be especially hard for children with tougher economic backgrounds, says U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

donorschoose
But DonorsChoose.org, an online charity connecting you to classrooms in need, can supplement California school’s losses through its many programs. We already used their Giving Cards during the Holiday season as a gift to our team. Their latest offering, The Great Give-Back Brithday is a way for you to donate your birthday to support classroom projects, inviting your friends to support a cause of your choice in lieu of birthday presents. For more information, see DonorsChoose.org and help keep our California schools running. bday_banners_may


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