 Getronics prides itself on its involvement in the communities where we work and live. One example of that is the Getronics Employees Club, a non-profit 501(c)(4) employee association formed by the employees of Getronics' Houston, TX offices. They publish their own monthly online newsletter that features stories like those below, along with a local social calendar of events and an internal free classified advertising board. They have also established discounts with over a dozen local merchants above and beyond the Getronics Perks program available to all employees. But what's particularly notable is how GEC puts the donations of money and staff time it receives to work in the community.
Houston Employees Come Through for Holiday Charity
 For the sixth year, employees in Houston have participated in the Salvation Army's "Wish Tree" program during the holidays. Beginning in late November 2003, employees checked out tags with the first names of either young children or senior citizens who did not have the financial ability to celebrate the holidays. On each tag, the "Wish Tree" recipient listed three items they needed and three items they wished for. Employees then chose what items to buy and donate to the person. All items were collected at Getronics' main Houston location and transported to the Salvation Army's warehouse on December 10. Salvation Army's volunteers (like the one pictured at right) used two fork lifts to offload large boxes full of clothing, toys and gifts from Getronics, including a brand new bicycle. All together, Houston employees checked out 175 "Wish Tree" tags and returned over 200 gifts.
 In 2003, the Getronics Employees Club organized its first "Share Your Holidays" Food Drive in association with the Houston Food Bank and Houston's ABC-TV station. The event kicked off on Halloween, with an employee costume contest. Employees who dressed in costumes walked around the offices "trick or treating", but instead of collecting candy and goodies, they collected food items. All together, Getronics employees collected 700 pounds of food that was taken to the Share Your Holidays collection center on December 10, 2003. Pictured at left are Bruce Coy, Chair of the GEC and Brenda Kirk, Executive Director for the Houston Food Bank.
 Thanksgiving Day Parade
Many Getronics employees walked over 1.5 miles on the streets of downtown Houston carrying parade banners in the annual Washington Mutual Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thanksgiving morning 2003. Employees in small groups, some with family members, met at 6:00 AM, assembled banners, and carried them in front of a cheering Houston crowd of thousands. This was the first time the GEC participated in the parade. Being in the parade was lots of fun and allowed them to get close to the TV cameras and celebrities. The GEC plans on participating in the parade again in 2004.
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