At Grata, one of our core values is community. We believe that when people have space to feel comfortable with themselves, they are more confident in sharing their experiences, knowledge, and ideas with others. This kind of environment builds trust, which strengthens the connections we have with each other. Everyone has something to contribute.
It’s also important to us to foster that sense of community outside of work. That’s why earlier this month, we teamed up with New Alternatives, an organization that provides essential services, education, and life skills training to homeless LGBTQ+ youth in New York City.
This is the second year in a row that Grata has worked with New Alternatives during Pride month. Michael D’Amico, a customer success manager at Grata, says, “We didn’t want to just slap a rainbow logo on our page — that would be following the trend instead of setting it ourselves and doing something meaningful. We wanted to put our money where our mouth is and show that we really embody that community value.”
New Alternatives’ mission is to help provide stability to homeless LGBTQ+ youth with housing, physical and mental health, education, and employment services. The goal is to set these youths up to become self-sufficient, so that they can focus on building fulfilling lives for themselves instead of simply surviving.
“If we can just be that catalyst, tip that first domino, to help people get what they need, we can help them set themselves up for success,” says D’Amico.
The Grata team collected essential care items and toiletries to be put into care packages, which New Alternatives would distribute. In 2023, we put together around 300 care packages. This year, we assembled over 400.
Now, we’re setting our sights on how we can continue this work beyond Pride month. Kayla Bleich, a customer success associate at Grata, created the company’s LGBTQ+ funded interest group (FIG) with D’Amico. She says, “This is something we want to focus on going forward — having more volunteer events outside of Pride month. It can be really hard to get involved in volunteer opportunities when you have a full-time job, so just having that structured space built into your work week periodically is really helpful. And if we can allocate the time and resources, everyone gains something from it.”
Working in a place that encourages and nurtures this community spirit makes a big difference to employees.
“I feel like you have a right to work for a company that shares your values,” says D’Amico. “The number one thing I say about Grata is that I love the team that I work with. Because we share similar goals and values, I feel comfortable enough to be myself, and that makes me more engaged and productive. The fact that I can be authentic makes me actually want to go to work, work harder, and do great things for Grata.”
Bleich agrees: “Being at Grata and being able to start an LGBTQ+ group, Michael being able to put on a drag bingo show, and just the company being very receptive to ideas like this — it shows me how much I value a company that prioritizes community. Not having to hide who you are or code-switch when you’re in the office, where you spend 40+ hours per week, is huge.”
We’re excited to continue building and supporting our community this year and beyond.
Learn more about New Alternatives’ mission here.
If you’re looking to join a team that values community, trust, and authenticity, we’re hiring.
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