EBS is a strong proponent of giving back to the community. To encourage this activity among our employees, we engage in a variety of activities.
EBS allows employees business time to perform charitable activities. The purpose of this opportunity is two-fold. We want to encourage our employees and their children to take a more active role in the needs of one’s community. And, we want to facilitate and instill the importance of participating and creating a belief that we all need to give to others and to programs in order to make our communities and the world a better place. We accomplish this goal by allowing employees five days per year of paid time off for charitable philanthropic activities.
For several years, EBS has sponsored the Youth Service Bureau’s Chef Soiree, the major fundraiser for this organization. The Youth Service Bureau (www.ysbworks.org) is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to the belief that strong youth and families are the cornerstone of a strong community. The mission of the Youth Service Bureau is to provide troubled or high-risk youth and their families with programs of prevention and early intervention which enable the youth to choose a new direction and become responsible community members. Founded in 1981 to answer the needs of at-risk youth and families, YSB continues to provide these programs today. The Youth Service Bureau also fosters quality advocacy efforts to ensure that all children in our community have safe and permanent homes.
Mike and Christine Foster of EBS founded The Harvey L. Foster Foundation for Science Education in late 2007. The mission is to award the ambition of the future science leaders of tomorrow with college tuition today. From grade school to grad school, the Foundation is supporting the next generation of scientists, engineers and chemists through educational initiatives. Whether it’s introducing the marvels of science and engineering to students through our career day mentoring programs, rewarding excellence in high school science fair competitions, providing schools with much needed laboratory equipment, or providing scholarships for students to pursue science careers with the HLFF Scholarship or the Pearl River Studies Scholarship, the Foundation strives to touch the lives of thousands of students community wide every day. Information on the foundation can be located at www.theharveylfosterfoundation.com.
EBS participates in the Mandeville, Louisiana High School Field Internship Program. This program was designed for seniors to give students a more in-depth look at their career interest through hands-on experience. It involves the “hiring” of an intern or student by a mentor within the community who will teach the student a trade. The high school senior not only obtains a taste of all aspects of that career but is an asset to the mentor. EBS participates in the Science Internship program with our first intern working in the EBS laboratory during the 2008/2009 school year.
Career Day – EBS presents to local schools on career day. The discussion typically revolves around the various science careers that high school seniors might not be aware of. Students tend to be more familiar with careers such as becoming a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, veterinarian, or even working in some sort of research field. EBS presents career information for those looking into biology, chemistry, or engineering majors that involve the manufacturing side of science.
Science Fairs – EBS assists schools in grading science presentations for science fairs.
Cub Scouts – EBS discussed and presented laboratory experiments in the area of science to the local Cub Scout Troop. This allowed the scouts to receive their Science belt loop and/or pin.
Elementary School programs – EBS happily assists elementary schools with science related activities. We have taught about microbiology using a show-and-tell method with our company microscope and samples. We gave around 27 show-and-tell presentations about volcano’s spouting lava. We discuss and show artifacts of American Indian Culture.
