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Making a Continual Impact in Our Communities

IEA provides clients and communities with engineering solutions for a better life. Our goal is to take those community improvements beyond infrastructure.

“I think that it’s really important to make a social impact in your community,” said Kylie Claypool, Senior Marketing Coordinator at IEA.“I care about the people around me. I want the best for them.”

IEA’s Positive Partnership culture has always encouraged employees to be supportive, collaborate, and produce quality work for our clients. IEA employees, Lauren Adedokun and Kylie Claypool share a desire for that partnership to extend past the company and it’s clients and into the surrounding communities.  

Adedokun and Claypool began by starting a relationship with The Stewpot in Dallas and raised $1,000 for the organization. This led to IEA’s first community service event, serving meals to people at the shelter.  

While Adedokun has prior community service experience through her church, this was a new experience for her. “Seeing the smile on everyone’s face when we were doing it, it just felt good to know that you’re giving back and you’re not getting anything from it, but you’re just helping other people,” she said. This event sparked her already existing appreciation for serving her community and sent her on a continual relationship with the organization.  

Similarly, Claypool has been involved in her community from a young age. It was an internship with a domestic violence shelter in St. Louis that really encouraged her to serve more. This experience gave Claypool a special connection to one of her favorite recent IEA Dallas volunteer initiatives with Genesis Women’s Shelter.  

IEA Dallas held a clothing drive to benefit the women’s shelter. “You’re not only donating clothing that go to help women and children who are in the shelter, the clothing that doesn’t go to the shelter’s inhabitants goes into the shelter’s thrift shop. The shop is open to the community and the proceeds collected through the shop are used to help with the costs of running the shelter and benefitting the people who are receiving their services. So that’s really cool,” said Claypool.  

Now known as IEA Gives Back, these volunteering initiatives are active in all four IEA offices.  

For World Hunger Day in May, IEA Houston packed lunches for Kids’ Meals, a company whose mission is to end childhood hunger in Houston. This event was easy to organize, fun for staff, and made a big impact with over 50 lunches packed for children who are still too young to benefit from the State provided free lunches served at schools. IEA employees were excited to participate and are eager to get more involved in the future.  

Other offices also got involved by volunteering at the North Texas Food Bank and the Central Texas Food Bank.  

“We’ve been very ambitious this year,” said Claypool. “I’m envisioning going forward that we’re starting to identify the charities and organizations that we really like to work with to make positive impacts.  

Claypool said the North Texas offices are looking forward to serve again with Texas Land Conservancy at Oak Cliff Nature Preserve. This past April some staff took part in conservation efforts in the preserve.   

“I just hope that we could get more involvement,” added Adedokun. “I don’t think I really realized how many people in Dallas are in need until you see the long distribution line at the shelter, around the corner, and down the street.”  

Both agreed that seeing and interacting with the people they are serving is important and shows the value of the work being done. “To see them so thankful and grateful shows that you’ve helped, maybe in a small way, but it helps,” said Adedokun.  

Claypool added, “It’s really about helping people where they need it. We all have different needs.”

IEA is excited to continue to do our part in meeting those needs. From cleaning beaches and parks to helping people get necessities like food and clothing. IEA Gives Back is an ongoing initiative to help our employees continue to cultivate positive partnerships in our communities.  

Photos from recent IEA Gives Back events 

  • Clothing donated to Genesis Women’s Shelter – March 2023 
  • Dallas staff working at Oak Cliff Nature Preserve – April 2023 
  • Houston staff cleaning Surfside Beach with Brazoria County – April 2023 
  • Houston staff packing lunches for KidsMeals – May 2023 
  • Staff volunteering at North Texas Food Bank and the Central Texas Food Bank – May 2023