When your passion is to change the world, there’s not much time for sleep. That’s why Fredo Figueroa starts his days at 5 a.m.
Fredo not only works 30 hours a week at Best Buy in Hartsdale, New York, but he’s also a full-time college student studying information technology and a basketball coach for his former high school and for a youth sports organization. He also runs a business called Sneaker Reign.
He and his business partner buy premium sneakers and resell them for a profit.
It started with a simple idea: Brian and Stephanie Farrell wanted to donate toys to foster children for the holidays.
When Brian, a district manager for Best Buy in New Jersey, told his store managers what he was doing, they asked to help and rallied their employees.
Word spread and, within weeks, all the stores in the state joined together to collect gifts. The donations were delivered to Embrella, a nonprofit that provides resources to foster families throughout New Jersey.
“It’s not really a group of employees — it’s a family donating to other families,” Brian said.
Imagine the stress and uncertainty of watching a loved one go through cancer treatment. The last thing you should worry about is finances. That’s why families at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food. And it’s just one of the many reasons why Best Buy partners with St. Jude during the holiday season.
St. Jude has treated children from all 50 states and around the world, and the hospital freely shares its discoveries with doctors and scientists worldwide to help save thousands more children.
One spring afternoon in the school library, Josie Davis and Sienna Russell hit a roadblock in the code they were writing.
The girls turned their heads expectantly to Suprabha Hegde, a junior software engineer at Best Buy. She pointed to their screens as she guided them through the next steps.
Suprabha is one of 50 Best Buy employees who have volunteered over the past four months with TechnovationMN, the Minnesota branch of a global program that teaches teen girls to dream up, design and code mobile phone applications that solve real-world problems that teams have identified in their communities.
Best Buy has a long history of partnering with nonprofit organizations in communities across the country through our Community Grants program. This year, we are looking to award more than $2 million to eligible organizations.
We will prioritize proposals that include hands-on learning opportunities for young people and that creatively engage youth in experimenting and interacting with technology.
Our involvement doesn’t stop with financial support, though. Many of our employees give back to their communities by volunteering with the organizations that receive support through Community Grants.
Severe body pain, numbness and fatigue weren’t enough to keep Kym Chapman from helping customers.
The Best Buy employee, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2008 after three years as an assistant manager at a Minnesota store, continued to work and inspire others despite not knowing how the disease would affect her next. Her nerves could break down, potentially leaving her unable to see, think, walk or talk.
“Every MS story is different and I’m lucky that my journey has not been visible to other people, like other MS diagnoses,” she said.
The anticipation of visiting a hospital for sick children can stir a range of emotions. Best Buy General Manager Derek Muller expected a heartbreaking experience of seeing kids fighting cancer and other diseases. Instead, on a tour of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital ® in Memphis, he saw hope.
“The children were all laughing and smiling and doing what kids their age should be doing — being kids,” he said. “I am so thankful for being able to be a part of this, to see what St.
(MINNEAPOLIS, MARCH 4, 2019) – For the third consecutive year, Best Buy finished as the top fundraising partner in St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s® annual Thanks and Giving® campaign. Best Buy set a new record for itself, raising $20.8 million over the holiday season to help in the fight against childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
“What makes Best Buy so special is that we are a company with a great big heart.
Many people go to work to make money, but Best Buy gives our employees opportunities to do much more than that. One store leader’s generosity within his hometown community is leaving a footprint — literally.
Jorge Veliz is the general manager of the Best Buy store in Mission Viejo, California. Growing up in Guatemala, he remembers walking to school barefoot. Today, as a GM, Jorge buys shoes for kids who need them like he did.
Every February, Jorge and his father organize a two-day festival in their home village.
One day while driving to work at the Best Buy in Emeryville, California, Phil Bohol noticed a group of homeless people. Several appeared to be military veterans, still wearing parts of their service uniforms.
Phil served seven years in the U.S. Marines, and seeing other vets struggling broke his heart. So he enlisted six Best Buy co-workers who also served in the military to help raise money in a GoFundMe campaign to buy blankets, hygiene kits, sleeping bags and more for homeless veterans in the area.
Tony Dandy has been living in temporary housing in Panama City Beach, Florida, for almost two months after his house was damaged by the winds and rain of Hurricane Michael. And he probably won’t be able to move home for a few more weeks.
But, despite his own hardship, the Best Buy supervisor has been volunteering several times a week to help others in the community. And dozens of employees from our Best Buy store in Panama City have joined him to assist with the recovery efforts.
You know Best Buy employees as the people who can help you pick out the perfect piece of tech. They’re also people who help in their communities, doing things such as tutoring students, serving food and even checking coats.
In the Cincinnati area, employees from the seven Best Buy stores there volunteer in big numbers. They help out at everything from museum fairs and youth symposiums to 5K races and after-school programs.
“There are no limitations on our volunteer programs,” says Brian Stevens, who’s the administrative assistant for the Best Buy market that includes Cincinnati.