{"id":221336,"date":"2016-02-22T06:06:06","date_gmt":"2016-02-21T20:06:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=221336"},"modified":"2016-02-22T06:06:06","modified_gmt":"2016-02-21T20:06:06","slug":"bsis-corporate-social-responsibility-encourages-involvement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/bsis-corporate-social-responsibility-encourages-involvement\/","title":{"rendered":"BSI\u2019s Corporate Social Responsibility encourages involvement"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Best<\/a>
Best Sunshine International, Ltd. Corporate Social Responsibility members team up to serve the community. From left, Malcolm Omar, Erica Tenorio, Antoinette Kaipat, and John Brel. (Contributed Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Best Sunshine International, Ltd. continues to distinguish itself as a company that embraces corporate social responsibility as a primary vehicle to encourage involvement among its employees.<\/p>\n

For BSI employees, their involvement with the company\u2019s Corporate Social Responsibility department builds a collaborative and inspired team. <\/p>\n

It also provides opportunities which leads to fulfillment.<\/p>\n

From homemaker to community delegate<\/strong><\/p>\n

CSR representative Antoinette Kaipat\u2019s story is not only about being able to provide a better life for herself and her family but an opportunity to give back to the community.<\/p>\n

A devoted companion and loving mother, Kaipat was a stay-at-home mom manning down the house while her partner provided for the family outside the home. This was before being hired to work for BSI\u2019s CSR team.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore Best Sunshine, I was a stay-at-home mom and I felt bad for my partner that he had to work extra hard just to get us through the week,\u201d explained Kaipat. \u201cI started working for CSR to help him out and also to help my mom since we\u2019re staying with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

As she searched for a potential job, she was more than happy to accept the offer from Best Sunshine to be a part of its Corporate Social Responsibility team.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI have three beautiful girls, the oldest is 14, middle is 12, and the youngest is 4. My kids helped me see what life really is. When I look at them, I want a better life for them,\u201d said Kaipat.<\/p>\n

Kaipat started working as a CSR representative last December and has been enjoying every moment since then. Not only is she able to provide for her family financially, she is also one of the many CSR teammates responsible for maintaining the beauty of the CNMI through community outreach.<\/p>\n

Best Sunshine\u2019s CSR team has played a very active role in maintaining the beauty of our island through community service. As a CSR representative, Kaipat is always out on the field working alongside her colleagues repairing, restoring, repainting, and rebuilding various locations in need of improvement.<\/p>\n

When asked what she enjoys most about working with the Best Sunshine CSR team, she explains how she was able to quickly develop a tightknit relationship with them. The Best Sunshine CSR team spends various hours throughout the week together completing one project and the next.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a very shy person and I never liked to mingle, but now, I really opened up. It really surprised my family because I was never like this before,\u201d explained Kaipat. \u201cI feel like my team isn\u2019t just a group of colleagues, but my brothers and sisters. Our bond is so close that we can sit and joke about silly things, but when it\u2019s time to be serious, we get the job done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a great opportunity to go out and help everybody make our island a better place,\u201d added Kaipat. \u201cI really enjoy giving back to the community and showing people that the Best Sunshine CSR team is here for them, not just for us or the company.\u201d<\/p>\n

Self-reliance and independence<\/strong><\/p>\n

Like Kaipat, Erica Tenorio is also a CSR representative at BSI and spends a lot of her time on the field doing community outreach. <\/p>\n

Known to be outspoken, energetic, and a feisty young woman, Tenorio shares how she overcame her struggle being a single mother while at the same time being dedicated to beautifying the islands. <\/p>\n

Before accepting her current position at Best Sunshine, she was trying to make ends meet to provide for her two sons and her mother, who she currently resides with.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very hard playing the role of mom and dad. I mean, the mom side is easy; but the dad\u2019s side is a struggle,\u201d said Tenorio. \u201cWorking for CSR is rewarding because it really provides the support I need to care for my kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

While working at her last job, Tenorio felt like something was missing and yearned for something more out of her career. She made the decision to start looking for a job that would satisfy her interest in working outdoors.\u00a0 Being very full of energy, she wanted a job that didn\u2019t restrain her to a desk all day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI chose Best Sunshine because the job is focused more on what I\u2019m interested in, which is being outdoors,\u201d explained Tenorio. \u201cI also took the job to be able to give my kids what I never had growing up, which is not having to say no whenever they ask for something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tenorio explained how her children have brought so much joy into her life and how she made it a goal to provide for them the best way she could. She has already began achieving this goal by accepting a job that not only sufficiently pays the bills, but also, allows her children to live comfortably.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince I love doing outdoor work, it really works out because what we do in CSR is work in the community outreach. It feels good to go into a village and make the village a better place for tourists as well as others to see,\u201d said Tenorio.<\/p>\n

When asked what her favorite community outreach experience has been, she replies that she really loves helping out at the Man\u2019amko Center. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy favorite experience was the Man\u2019amko Prom because we were able to give them a new opportunity and experience after all they\u2019ve been through since Typhoon Soudelor,\u201d stated Tenorio. \u201cTheir faces were so surprised and it was a great feeling knowing we did something good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like everyone in CSR, she has established a close relationship with her coworkers and finds comfort in knowing that they are all like one big family. She states, \u201cIt\u2019s nice that we\u2019re very family oriented not only in our homes, but also here at work. That\u2019s one thing that\u2019s hard to find in a job. I appreciate that we do all the work together and that\u2019s what I appreciate about working in this department.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tenorio adds, \u201cThank you Best Sunshine and this department for giving me the opportunity to go out into the community and give back. It has been a really great experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018A better CNMI\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

BSI representative Malcolm Omar explains how BSI believed in him and gave him the opportunity to help the community and his family. <\/p>\n

One of the greatest challenges that he had to overcome was moving to the mainland himself. \u201cIt was a very big challenge for me, but I did it. I was staying in Washington all by myself for five years,\u201d stated Omar.<\/p>\n

Prior to his employment at BSI, Omar spent his days as an active member of the Talabwogh Stars Association, a faith-based, non-profit group in Tanapag. He was also employed at the Hyatt Regency Saipan as a night auditor.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my greatest accomplishments was being the president and one of the founders of the Talabwogh Stars Association (TSA). The program is dedicated to community outreach work, especially with the youth. We emphasize on substance abuse, education, and prevention,\u201d explained Omar. \u201cI was employed at Hyatt as a night auditor. Working the graveyard shift was fine for me so I can have more time with TSA.\u201d<\/p>\n

When offered the job at CSR, Omar was more than happy to accept the offer because it was within the scope of work that he was interested in. He loves helping his people and giving back to the community and he knew that with this job, he would be doing just that. <\/p>\n

One of the things that Omar is grateful for that BSI has offered him is the opportunity to work with an amazing team. Despite the difference in background, all of them had the same goal, which is to make the CNMI a better place. <\/p>\n

\u201cI love working with the people here. We\u2019re very diverse. We all have our own special skills to bring to the table. At first I was a little leery with Best Sunshine because of the negative hearsay that was being passed around in the public, but now that I am employed here, I see firsthand what the company is actually about. They have the same vision as me, which is to promote our islands and provide a better CNMI for our people because we deserve it,\u201d explained Omar. \u201cWe\u2019re all homegrown in CSR and it\u2019s great to get to know each other. Thank you Best Sunshine for allowing me to meet all these awesome people and expanding my network.\u201d<\/p>\n

Growth and responsibility<\/strong><\/p>\n

Also a Best Sunshine corporate social responsibility coordinator, John Brel shares how he didn\u2019t just find a job that he loves but also a job that gives back to his community and family. <\/p>\n

Brel is a physical, adventurous, and creative individual. His most recent job was at Aquasmith as a spearfishing\/diving instructor. He enjoyed it, but after some time he realized that there was no room for growth and so he ceased his employment there. At the time, he felt that he didn\u2019t need a job. After a while of being unemployed, he was motivated to search for a job when he found out he was going to be a father. <\/p>\n

He finally found his niche in the Best Sunshine\u2019s CSR Department, where at first he was part of the logistics team, then later promoted to the coordinator position.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t working for a while, but when I found out I was having a kid, I knew I had to change and start working to take care of my child,\u201d stated Brel. \u00a0\u201cWhen I first started here in CSR, I was in logistics, bringing in all the equipment to the sites. After working hard, helping out, and leading certain projects, the team felt that I could fill the coordinator position so they offered it to me. I was excited to take on the offer, especially because at my last job, there wasn\u2019t any room to grow and I held the same position the entire time I was employed there. Nonetheless, I feel like my job at Aquasmith prepared me for my job here at CSR. If anything, it made me appreciate Best Sunshine more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brel embraces the fact that CSR is about outreach and community work. He is glad that he is not only given the opportunity to develop a strong relationship with his coworkers, but also with the whole community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really like CSR because it\u2019s all about outreach and helping the community. There\u2019s a big sense of accomplishment after finishing a project, especially when people in the community show how appreciative they are toward the work we\u2019ve done. The team has grown since last October and I think the bigger it gets, the better we can help Saipan,\u201d explained Brel. \u201cWe\u2019ve gotten really close and have developed a special bond with each other not only in our office, but also in our outreach program.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to thank Best Sunshine for dedicating a whole department toward aiding the people of the community. I\u2019m always happy to start a new project because I know in some way, it helps me, it helps my family and it helps the whole island. My favorite experience was when my team was working on the fencing of Oleai Elementary School and a bunch of students came out and thanked us. That is something I know I will never forget.\u201d (PR)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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