EL has an energy that is absolutely contagious. Walk through our doors and you can immediately sense that you are near a serious power source.  It’s buzzing through our hallways.  It is that energy that makes us leaders in our industry.

So what’s the recipe for this kind of fervor?  There’s only one ingredient – the exceptionally talented and passionate people that work here.  Each individual here contributes to the synergy that sustains EL’s momentum and drives us towards excellence.  This is clearly demonstrated by the teamwork that has ensured our continued success.  At Empathy Lab, we truly are greater than the sum of our parts.

Earlier this year, a new initiative was introduced at EL – “Empathy Works”. This initiative was entirely voluntary, and participation in events was not required. This was simply an open door opportunity to use our talents and collective energy to do something good – to give of ourselves and make a difference in our community together.  And with no expectations set forth, something extraordinary happened.  These crazy, busy people wanted to get involved.

Recommendations for causes to support quickly began flowing.  And we suddenly learned something personal about the person we worked next to every day.  We learned about something that really mattered to them.  And just like that, it mattered to us too.  There was no hard press to get involved. Just the promise of teamwork, fun, and the feelings of satisfaction and pride in doing something good.

Many of us are already affiliated with a charitable organization.  It is something we’re passionate about outside of our daily work day.  Something we contribute our time to in the evenings and on the weekends; something we do with our families. The thought of having these worlds colliding was both exciting and overwhelming. And yet it all felt right.

So what are we doing?

• We are walking and raising funds for the American Diabetes Association’s signature fundraising walk, Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes. Every step we take and every dollar we raise makes a difference in the lives of 25.8 million Americans living with diabetes.
• We are kicking cancer by organizing a serious team of athletes to compete in a community kickball tournament benefitting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We are taking the time to pay tribute and bring hope to people battling cancer, and to raise funds for lifesaving research and patient services. (We also brought home the trophy, but we don’t want to brag.) 
  
  
  
  
• We are “Dodging Hunger” for the University City Hospitality Coalition (UCHC).  Yes, we’re talking a dodgeball tournament.  The UCHC is a local non-profit, which provides hot meals as well as free medical, legal and dental clinics to those in the University City District of Philadelphia who need it the most.  After playing over 3+ hours of grueling & highly competitive dodgeball, Team EL made it all the way to the finals.  (Sadly our costumes did not arrive in time or we would have surely brought back another trophy.)
  
  
  
  
• We are giving children the essentials they need to feel safe, warm, ready to learn, and most importantly, valued. In gearing up for their cold weather season, EL helped Cradles to Crayons collect clothing and supplies for children and infants whose families cannot afford to provide these essential items.

So you thought we only get excited about brewing our own beer? Think again. This spirit of camaraderie and community involvement seems to be an innate component of our DNA. We care about what we do as a company, but we also care about who we are, and what we can do to share this amazing energy with others who need a little extra help. After all, this is more than just our name. It’s our philosophy.