When tornados and storms ripped through central Illinois on November 17, Chicago-based Jet Support Services (JSSI) organized an employee donation match initiative for the victims.

“So many of us felt a connection with these specific tornado victims because they are less than 200 miles away from our corporate headquarters in Chicago,” Frank Hattula, director of human resources for JSSI, told AIN. “Even if we did not know people individually, in many cases our friends and families know people in those communities.”

Employee donations and dollar-for-dollar matching company funds totaled approximately $25,000 for the local American Red Cross tornado relief fund.

JSSI has established a community enrichment program through which it coordinates employee donations to help the victims of disasters. The company also allocates one work day per employee per year throughout its international network to volunteer at a charity of each employee’s choice.