At this time of year our thoughts often turn to festivities and presents but given the current economic crisis facing the Island making sure we help the needy is even more important than ever.That is where local companies have really stepped up to the mark over the past year donating funds to a host of worthy causes and getting involved in hands-on projects from painting a wall to building homes and shelters overseas.The Royal Gazette spoke to eight such businesses that have been helping make a big difference in the local community and to give something back.The Argus Group made one of its biggest donations ever to the Bermuda Heart Foundation in February to assist the charity with funding an exercise physiologist the Cardiac Outreach Renewal and Education (CORE) centre in Hamilton which helps people who suffer from heart problems to better manage their medical conditions through an individual programme of exercise, nutrition, psychological counselling and group therapy.Argus also recognises the CORE centre as a covered benefit on its health insurance policy and the company promotes the centre to its wellness clients at every opportunity, as well as providing the Bermuda Heart Foundation with space at the Argus Building for education sessions and meetings as required.The insurer has sponsored the annual Crime Stoppers 5K Walk and Road Race every October for more than a decade, helping to promote the organisation’s service which enables the public to report criminal activity anonymously without the fear of being exposed.The company has also been helping The Reading Clinic to meet its goal of improving literacy and numeracy in Bermuda, while last month it sponsored a Friends & Family Circle Walk in support of the Bermuda Diabetes Association.In honour of John Sainsbury, former Argus president and CEO, the company provides an annual scholarship programme managed by local education charity, Knowledge Quest. The programme is designed to support the academic careers of Bermudians interested in working in the fields in which Argus operates, such as insurance and investments, as well as the functional roles that exist within the company, including accounting and legal.Alison Hill, CEO of the Argus Group, said: “As a local company, Argus takes its responsibilities to strengthen and add value to the community in which it operates very seriously. The company actively supports a wide range of charities, local organisations, events and initiatives for the benefit of all in Bermuda. The focus of our philanthropic activities are in the areas of health, youth, education, security and culture.“During this fiscal year, the Argus Group selected several charities to support relating to the chosen theme of ‘Prevention’, which is a value that underpins each area of our operations and is aligned with our strategic objectives. As one of the island’s leading insurance and pension providers, Argus is in the business of helping its clients to prevent financial and physical misfortune.”In addition to these key partnerships, Argus also supports a number of events and initiatives promoting healthy living in the community throughout the year from the Argus Health Fair, now in its seventh year, to the second Argus Walk the Walk 5K, in association with The Centre on Philanthropy, in February, which raised significant funds for 87 local charities.In May Ms Hill planted a Bermuda cedar tree in the St David’s Lighthouse park and led staff volunteers in a clean-up as part of the company’s ongoing adoption of the park to maintain the grounds.The activity was organised in partnership with Keep Bermuda Beautiful and the Bermuda Department of Parks, with Argus having made the commitment to look after the two national parks in 2007 in order to ensure that the legacy of these historic landmarks is preserved for future generations.In March, Argus employees presented the Family Centre with a cheque for money raised by the Argus Denim Day programme in its first year.Each July, Argus partners with the Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association to host the Argus Open held at W.E.R. Joell Tennis Stadium, having sponsored the competition since its inception in 1999 to promote tennis to people of all abilities and ages on the Island.Also during the summer Argus made a financial contribution to the Youth Athletic Organisation baseball league at the Kindley Field in Southside, St David’s as a way to get people into sport and learning important social and interpersonal skills from a young age.In August, Argus announced it was providing financial support for the Victor Scott Primary School’s summer programme. Donations from private entities and members of the public were required to allow the school to continue the initiative for a second year at an affordable rate for parents facing financial difficulties in this challenging economy. The programme was designed to ensure that those students in need of additional learning support, social development and a ‘safe haven’ over the holidays received it.This year, for the first time, Argus also sponsored the Bermuda National Trust Palm Sunday Walk and a water stop at the Bermuda End-to-End both opportunities to get active for charitable causes.Ms Hill said: “We look forward to giving back to the Bermuda community that surrounds us in 2012 and beyond. Argus will continue to seek out projects to support that provide a significant and measurable social benefit in line with our business objectives.”The Freisenbruch-Meyer Group ran a number of charitable programmes in 2011, starting with the out of office scheme which was launched in 2010 and is geared towards the company’s elderly home insurance clients.The first recipient was Elfreda Lines, who has had a policy with the company since 1984 and has limited mobility due to her arthritis, with about 12 staff members descending on her property to prepare it for the hurricane season landscaping the garden, cleaning out the basement, installing security lights and a smoke detector, and redecorating the home with paint donated by Pembroke Paint.This year Grace Franks, who also suffers from limited mobility and lives on a fixed income, had her house madeover with some light construction, gardening and painting.Freisenbruch-Meyer also sponsors a family put forward by the Coalition for the Protection of Children as part of the Secret Santa initiative and in 2010 the company provided three boxes of non-perishable food items, two Christmas presents for each child (three children), a gift for the mum and a gift certificate for a turkey.In 2011 the company is sponsoring the car license for a mother-of-four and donating a Christmas tree, as she cannot afford either.And this year the company also partnered with North Village Community Club (NVCC) Premier League football team to raise funds for Bermuda Cancer and Health Center within the Kicks for Cancer programme.For each goal scored in October, Freisenbruch-Meyer donated $100, totalling $1,700 from Freisenbruch-Meyer alone and collectively more than $2,000.Michael Freisenbruch, president of Freisenbruch-Meyer, said: “We have a great relationship with NVCC and once we heard about the Kicks for Cancer campaign, I immediately thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to support Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre. It was our pleasure to be able to provide this extra financial contribution in conjunction with NVCC.“We are all tightening the purse strings, but it’s essential to create more innovative ways to support our charities, like Kicks for Cancer, and ensure their sustainability during this recession.”In addition, since its launch, the Ride the Wave CD, which features 20 local artists and was sold in more than 40 establishments throughout the Island, has raised just over $50,000 in sales, $40,000 of which was presented in the form of a cheque to the Coalition for the Protection of Children for their breakfast programme in December 2010.Mr Freisenbruch said: “I am sincerely grateful for the hard work of my team, shop keepers and supporters in the community who have all played an instrumental role in the success of this project. We are pleased to present this generous donation to such a worthy cause. I especially want to say thank you to Andrew McKay from Gorham’s, who sold 700 CDs alone and hosted the Album Release Party with us back in June. G.E.T. Securities, Alterra, and Brown & Co deserve a special mention for their hard work as well, but everyone did their part.”Many people will remember the boat that caught fire in June last year when its owner filled it up with gas at Dowling’s Shell Marine Station in St George’s and the brave Kyle Smith who was riding by on his jet ski at the time and saw the flames, coming to the rescue and towing the boat away to safety.His courage was rewarded with a $500 travel voucher from Freisenbruch-Meyer and Meyer Travel.On the last Friday of each month the company also holds a Denim Day with each employee paying $5 for the pleasure of wearing denim and the employer matches the their total donation and the proceeds going to a number of charities including Hands of Love, SPCA, Meals on Wheels, Big Brother Big Sisters and Bermuda Red Cross.Air Care Ltd’s maintenance sales consultant Stratton Hatfield said that his company had seen the plight of many of Bermuda’s 300-plus non-profit organisations struggling in the recession.He said that it was key for management to consider the time, money and resources it was willing to donate to such causes on an annual basis and proposed an approval process for charities requesting contributions with the qualifying organisations falling into the categories of Air Care business partners on maintenance or projects, employee connections and outstanding contributions to the community to help people in need.This year the company provided a 10 percent discount off P.A.L.S.’s customised maintenance programme for its Daikin air-conditioning equipment which totaled approximately $3,000 as well as its preventive maintenance scheme for half the price at around $1,500 in savings.Paula Clarke, CEO of the Gibbons Company, said that the company had launched a homework buddy programme with Victor Scott School through the provision of quality after-school study time twice a week throughout the school year for students to help them complete all their homework under the supervision of teachers with the helpers from Gibbons Company.“Each child benefits knowing they are going to school the next day we finished homework, this builds confidence and knowledge in individuals and promotes a successful school life,” she said.“One of the most important parts of this programme is that in single or dual parent families that the time in the evening they spend with their children is less stressful as all homework assignments are completed which provides true quality time for families to spend together. With so many working women in our industry we felt this initiative was close to our hearts. We partnered with David Bascome and H4L in this programme. Gibbons Company fully funds it.”The Gibbons Company was also the pioneer of charity shopping nights in Bermuda, starting the programme over seven years ago every Friday night from Thanksgiving to Christmas.The idea is simple according to Ms Clarke customers donate a minimum of $5 to a local charity and they can shop all day in store and get 20 percent off their purchases.“We felt that during the holiday period everybody is busy and they want to contribute but perhaps didn’t have the time or a channel in which to make a donation, we provided that administering the process,” she said.John Wight, president and CEO of BF&M Ltd, said that his staff was dedicated to charitable giving and community involvement and despite the downturn, the company continued to set aside significant funds and employee time for such causes, contributing to 72 non-profits this year.“While there are many worthwhile charities on the island, our philanthropic programme is largely aligned with our businesses, with wellness being the largest focus and the annual Breast Cancer Awareness Walk the largest single recipient of funding,” he said.“We have decided to maintain and in some cases increase the spend during these difficult economic times as so many worthwhile charities and the beneficiaries of the charities need the community’s financial assistance now more than ever. In addition to financial assistance, many BF&M staff have put in many hours for worthwhile projects such as painting senior citizens roofs.”AF Smith also have around 12 staff who volunteer at various organisations, both, through time allowed by the company and in their own personal time ranging from walking, feeding, playing with and cleaning up after the dogs at the SPCA, to one staff member who travels with Corner Of Love to Nicaragua to build homes and shelters the people that need them.Other areas of volunteerism include Agape, Prospect Primary School, The Boys Brigade, a Preschool, The Aquarium, Phenomenal People, The Girls Brigade, The Police Critical Incident Stress Management Team and Amnesty International.The time equated for volunteering this year by the company was 141.5 hours (or $4,118.02 in terms of time off) and 217.5 hours or $4253.43 in personal time.A spokeswoman for Butterfield & Vallis said: “Our donation account has increased over the past several years, as the need has increased. We support a whole host of charities financially and with product.”A spokeswoman for Digicel said: “We have donated both cash and in kind gifts to a wide variety of charitable causes ranging from providing door prizes for numerous charitable events, to sponsoring initiatives like Bermuda Glee, to providing the Digicel Scholarship for Sport, to sponsoring the Bermuda Football Association through the Digicel Premier Division.”