Over 100 KPMG staff turned out to help the community.The professional services firm held their annual Make a Difference Day (MaDD) event, a hands-on volunteering day where the employees give their time to make a positive difference in the local community.Each year, the company closes its offices and donates hundreds of person-hours in a single day with the singular goal of making significant contribution in a short time frame.This year company employees supported three local charities: the Bermuda National Trust, Matilda Smith Williams Seniors Residence, and the Hospitals Auxiliary of Bermuda.The firm divvied their staff based on their interests and talents to support a variety of projects that took place at four locations, The Matilda Smith Williams Home, The Barn thrift store, Barker’s Hill, Devonshire and Prospect Garrison Cemetery.The Barn, noted a spokesman, is the Hospitals Auxiliary of Bermuda’s most profitable fundraising initiative. Barker’s Hill and Prospect Garrison Cemetery are projects of the Bermuda National Trust.Said chairman of KPMG in Bermuda, Neil Patterson: “It never ceases to impress me how important the annual MaDD initiative has become to our staff.“Aside from the quality of work completed by our staff over such a short period of time, a large part of the overall impact can be measured in the real pride taken in the projects they participate in. This is a key feature that I take away from this initiative each year.”When asked why the specific charities were chosen, a spokesman for the company, Mark Lavery, said: “KPMG in Bermuda’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) agenda is to inspire, challenge and empower our people to make a positive contribution to our local community. Our annual Make a Difference Day has quickly become a highlight of our staff calendar, offering all of us the opportunity to be fully involved in project selection and building positive links with the communities around us.“After a personal outing to a Bermuda historical site earlier in the year, a member of staff approached the CSR committee with the idea of working with the Bermuda National Trust to aid in its goal of preserving natural, architectural and historic treasures. Acting on this request, the committee reached out to the BNT to offer our support and ironed out the details of projects at both the Prospect Garrison Cemetery and the Barker’s Hill property, which has been returned to their stewardship.“With Prospect Cemetery and Barker’s Hill already selected, we looked for additional projects within the vicinity, reaching out to a number of charitable organisations in the area before deciding on Matilda Smith Williams Senior Residence, as a follow up to our CSR project held in 2007, and the Hospitals Auxiliary of Bermuda in support of the Barn thrift shop.“Key to our MaDD initiative is finding a project, or series of projects, that allows us to utilise the talents of the largest number of our staff members, while making a significant impact in the community across various spheres. Through these four projects we will support health and social services, preservation and the environment in which we live.”The KPMG staff worked at the various sites from noon until 4pm.In 2008 KPMG repainted 175 naval crests in Dockyard as their MaDD project, which have recently been demolished. Speaking about the demolished crests, Mr Lavery said: “The completion of this project remains a source of pride for the firm and the staff that participated in it — particularly from the standpoint of working together as a team and a firm — and with support from local artists, schoolchildren, visitors and other Bermuda businesses.