Volunteer Profile: Convergint

When Convergint participates in their annual Group Involved Volunteering Day (GIV Day) at Hull Services, they are not just installing or maintaining security equipment or completing other jobs which fall outside of their organizational scope like building pergolas or sprucing up our landscaping; they’re impacting future colleagues.

“It’s about supporting our future leaders, and actually our future colleagues as well,” says Stephen Aguiar, General Manager of Convergint’s Southern Alberta and Fort McMurray locations. “I look at some of those kids, and I think, ‘these are future colleagues.’”

Convergint is an organization that works alongside a global network of partners and manufacturers to design, install, and service security, fire alarm, life safety, audio-visual, and building automation solutions for enterprise customers. They place a high value on being a strong supporter of charities within our communities. And we can be a testament to that.

In 2001 — our first GIV Day with Convergint was their organization’s first Social Responsibility Day — a yearly volunteer day that’s now well into the double digits. And it all started with an intern roughly 18 years ago.

Convergint’s former Vice President’s daughter did a social work internship at Hull in the early 2000s. As he became more knowledgeable about our Agency through her work, he felt that our vision and mission aligned with Convergint’s values and beliefs and our 18-year relationship with Convergint blossomed.

“There is such a strong relationship between Convergint and Hull; it’s a great charity,” says Aguiar. “We get some of the best feedback from our colleagues when they attend a GIV Day.”

An experience Stephen can relate to, having experienced a few GIV Days himself, 18 to be exact.

“I have been a part of Convergint Day at Hull right from the beginning,” says Aguiar. “So, I have also celebrated 18 years supporting Hull. Honestly, there are people at Hull that I would now call friends because we’ve been working so long together.”

The importance of family is a value instilled in Convergint’s company culture just as much as it is here at Hull, which is why they keep coming back, and they’ve started to bring their families with them.

“My son’s been at six or seven Convergint GIV Days over the years,” says Aguiar. “My son is 19 now, but as soon as he was allowed to come at 12, he did, and he’s been to every one since.”

Stephen, like so many, has experienced his own struggles and challenges with raising children. Still, he is keenly aware that he was able to give his children opportunities to succeed and wants those same opportunities given to the families we support.

“I acknowledge that what I’ve given my kids is not always the standard for every family out there,” says Aguiar. “I want to do anything I can to help families who struggle, and that is a perspective all of us at Convergint share.”

Convergint is fortunate to have the means to support many charities within our communities, but their dedication to Hull will always remain a priority.

“We’re already getting the ball rolling and having discussions as to what we’re going to do next year at Hull because it’s such a popular day within the corporate culture and our colleagues,” says Aguiar. “It might as well be in our colleague handbook at this point. We do Convergint GIV Day every year on the first Friday of June, and it is at Hull Services; that’s how much we believe in our partnership.”

A partnership that gets stronger every year.

“I want to watch Hull continue to expand their sphere of influence in their ability to help young people and families,” says Aguiar. “We’re to help Hull create a more friendly, engaging, inclusive, therapeutic environment for young people and staff, whether that be a new building or retrofitting existing buildings, we’re there.”

Without the support of community organizations like Convergint, there would be many projects, both big and small, that wouldn’t be completed due to lack of resources and funding.

“Organizations like Convergint are the reason we can continually upgrade our spaces to be more inclusive, therapeutic environments,” says Dan Hornsberger, Hull’s Director of Facilities Maintenance. “There are many projects that Convergint has done for us that otherwise would be beyond the capacity of our Agency to complete. For example, the expensive security software and equipment they provide; that support is instrumental in ensuring our young people are safe while they receive treatment in our live-in programs; we couldn’t do what we do without them.”

From volunteers and supporters to friends and colleagues, our future with Convergint is one where we all stand tall together.