Community Service

Chen and Associates is actively involved in numerous professional societies including the American Society of Engineers, Florida Engineering Society and the Florida Water Environmental Association. Through these organizations, employees have assisted with adopt a highway programs, beach cleanups, and outreach programs such as MathCounts, a yearly math competition in junior high schools to encourage interest in the engineering profession.

For Thanksgiving 2007 and Easter 2008, Chen and Associates collected food for the Cooperative Feeding Program, an organization working with the United Way. In July 2008, the company also sponsored a clothing drive to benefit the Vietnam Veterans of America.  In addition, the Committee collected 49 toys for Toys for Tots in December 2007.

The Committee has also organized volunteer events with Habitat for Humanity in both Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. In August 2007, employees assisted Habitat for Humanity of Broward with the construction of five homes. Team members worked with over 70 other volunteers to complete both exterior and interior painting of three homes as well as delivery and setup of cabinetry. A dozen Habitat-sponsored homes have been built in the neighborhood over the past several years.  The homes, located in Pompano Beach, are the latest in the group’s efforts to revitalize the area. In July 2008, employees again assisted Habitat for Humanity of Broward with the construction of homes in Dania Beach. Employees assisted with roofing activities for four new homes.

In January 2008, our Miami employees participated in the 10th Annual Blitz-Build, an accelerated construction event. By completing daily goals, ten homes were completed over the course of two weeks. Volunteers, homeowners, and sponsors worked together to build houses, friendships, and a better future for homeowner families and the Miami-Dade community.

In March 2008, Chen and Associates employees volunteered in the Florida Everglades west of Homestead. Two park rangers lead employees through the park to explain the environmental issues created by invasive plant species in the park and how they are being addressed. Such species include the Brazilian pepper tree which is being permanently removed by digging up the tree and surrounding soil and forming ‘mounds’ of materials that need to be removed from the park. 

Employees traveled the Old Ingraham Highway hiking and biking trail which winds through sawgrass prairie and cypress forest. While walking the trail, employees performed trail maintenance where necessary.
 

Volunteers from Chen and Associates got their feet wet while cleaning up the reefs and beaches of Broward County for the Ocean Watch Foundation's Reef Sweep and Beach Clean Up. The event, held on June 14 at various beaches around Broward County, marks the 20th anniversary of the Foundation's founding and clean up efforts. With the help of over 6,800 volunteers, the Foundation has collected and disposed of over 27 tons of garbage in their two decades of service.

The Chen Team collected over 20 pounds of garbage from the beach surrounding the Pompano Fishing Pier. For more information on how you can preserve and protect the coral reef ecosystems in southeast Florida, visit oceanwatch.org.

Chen and Associates also participated in the ASCE Young Member Beach Clean up on September 20. The event was organized in conjunction with GCCITE as part of the Broward County Coastal Cleanup. The ASCE/GCCITE group collected nine pounds of garbage from the Pompano Beach Fishing Pier.

On October 4th, Chen and Associates participated in the first annual Lauderdale-By-The-Sea (LBTS) October GreenFest. The event kicked off The Broward County Adopt-A-Street Program in LBTS; Chen and Associates has signed up for Washingtonia Avenue, located one block south of Town Hall. The community service committee will organize several cleanups throughout the year for this street.