JE Dunn’s Nashville office was searching for a way to increase philanthropy efforts in the community and better establish themselves as an integral part of Music City. In 2009, office leadership weighed whether giving a little to multiple organizations or offering larger support to a single organization would make the most sense.
Wanting to make a big impact, the office determined that a partnership was the route to go. Everyone at the Nashville office was invited to propose their favorite area nonprofit organizations to support. When our team heard statistics about girls and boys exposed to child sexual abuse by the age of 18, Nashville’s Our Kids organization was unanimously selected after an office-wide vote. The nonprofit works to treat and prevent child sexual abuse by providing medical and psychological evaluation, crisis counseling, research, and public education.
Employees in Nashville began helping Our Kids with repairs to the building that serves not only as a clinic for their patients, but also as office space. The staff at Our Kids receive children and their families in the building, with privacy and comfort in mind, something JE Dunn took into consideration with each project.
JE Dunn went on to manage a variety of construction projects for Our Kids, including a lobby remodel project, along with assessing where the nonprofit should consider investing in their property.
With the success of the ongoing projects, the relationship between Our Kids and JE Dunn blossomed over the years. Taking inspiration from Atlanta’s Hammer Down Race, which invites employees to set the hammer aside from the projects they are working on and compete for a good cause, the Nashville team embarked on their first Hammer Down Race in 2014, with all the proceeds benefiting Our Kids.
The race takes place annually each spring, featuring a fun, family friendly 5K/10K in downtown Nashville. Awards, in the form of an engraved hammer, are given to the top finishers in all age groups.
Since 2014, JE Dunn has raised more than $1 million for Our Kids through the Hammer Down Race—roughly $180,000 of that from 2022’s Hammer Down Race alone. That 2022 total was then matched by an anonymous donor, resulting in a $360,000 impact—the most ever raised from the Hammer Down Race annual event.
JE Dunn is also now part of Our Kids’ future through financial planning efforts, helping the organization reach more children and their families beyond Nashville. In addition, JE Dunn employees can select Our Kids for the Employee Match Program, creating more of an impact through financial contributions throughout the year.