Our service culture extends beyond the customers we serve.
Many of us at Centella feel compelled to contribute to our community at large. So, we formed Centella’s GenerosiTeam – the moniker given to our South Florida philanthropy efforts to serve our community in a way that is true to ourselves. True to Centella.
This means going beyond donations in order to make a physical, face-to-face connection with our community. This philosophy parallels the idea of treasure versus time. Treasure, while still supported and important, does not provide the same level of appreciation cultivated by investing our own time with our community. We believe that establishing a real connection with people in need and seeing the tangible effects out in the world makes those efforts resonate stronger.
The GenerosiTeam is also an opportunity for our company to cultivate team chemistry and support each other as we get to help others.
Founded in 2019, GenerosiTeam was created by Isabel Diaz and Lucas Diaz, key leadership members of the company who, together with CEO Gonzalo Diaz, make up the third generation of Centella’s founding family. The trio also makes up the current board of directors. This commitment from the top to making our community a better place creates a shared effect of responsibility and sets an example for us to follow.
Since its inception, the team has participated in several projects, lending support to organizations, including the Miami Learning Experience School, Feeding South Florida, and the Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis.
The year after its founding, the team was met with a global challenge that we all faced together – the Coronavirus.
Changing the way we interacted with each other meant the team needed to adapt its efforts in the face of a growing crisis. Face-to-face events were extremely limited throughout the hectic year. Despite obstacles, the team made sure to help our community by participating in fundraising events and partnering with Toys for Tots to gather donations during the holidays.
Once restrictions began to lift and the world began to enter a post-COVID normalcy, the team renewed its efforts by planning and preparing more in-person events.
In September 2022, GenerosiTeam members sprang into action to support in response to the damage left by Hurricane Ian to several areas of our South Florida community. Team members led the charge by taking food and other supplies to Centella’s west coast, which was deeply impacted by the storm. The response was quick and stemmed from a natural instinct our employees had to help the community without needing to be signaled for help. It is this type of proactive involvement within our team that we aim to cultivate through the GenerosiTeam.
n July 2023, the team participated in Feeding South Florida. According to the Feeding South Florida site, over 700,000 people across Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties struggle with food insecurity, meaning that many of them don’t know when or where their next meal is coming from. Our team prepared 29 thousand pounds of care packages for people in need throughout the community. We inspected, sorted, and assembled food items, baby supplies, and other daily necessities that countless people in our communities often go without.
To close out our efforts in 2023, Centella’s GenerosiTeam will be participating in beach cleanups, supporting toy drives and other events, including Guitars Over Guns.
What about new employees wanting to get involved?
“Bring ideas. Our community is grand and dynamic. Where is there some need? Where can we apply our strong team, planning expertise, and technical skills to ‘love our neighbor’?” – Lucas Diaz, Co-Founder
We are all driven by different causes. The GenerosiTeam seeks to harness the call the serve, varying pursuits to reach as many affected communities as possible.
“Whether it’s a hurricane or a pandemic…we take care of each other, and the GenerosiTeam should inspire such a concept.”
Please consider contributing to any of the organizations mentioned in this article. Let’s all continue to be stewards of the communities we call home.