How Royal Wolf is making an impact through charity and community work

Royal Wolf has strengthened its commitment to the community through a new initiative that saw its staff volunteer with a range of charities and community programs.

As a United Rentals company, Royal Wolf staff across Australia and New Zealand took part in its Hour of Impact initiative, dedicating one hour of their time to those who need it most.

United Rentals’ goal was to log 25,000 hours of impact across its entire global workforce.

The response to the initiative was overwhelming, with Royal Wolf’s rapidly growing team of over 300 exceeding the one hour per person expectation. Instead of 300 hours, it contributed over 900 hours.

Donating blood, packing hampers, and so much more

Royal Wolf staff dedicated their time to a wide range of causes and community initiatives – including donating funds to a variety of charities, donating blood, volunteering at local hospitals, cooking for the homeless, packing hampers for the disadvantaged, and distributing items for charities supporting victims of domestic violence. Royal Wolf's commitment to supporting those in need has also extended to healthcare initiatives, including when staff donated PlayStations to the Children's Hospital at Westmead to help oncology patients stay connected and entertained during treatment. 

“It’s been fantastic to see everyone getting involved and contributing to this initiative both within and outside work time,” says Fiona van Duuren, Royal Wolf Human Resources Manager.

“I’m proud of what we’ve done as an organisation to give back to our community, and the feedback from our staff team has been very positive too.”

Staff from Royal Wolf’s Armada Place branch in Queensland visited the AMRA Men’s Shed, which plays a vital role in providing men with the opportunity to find social support and friendships, especially after retirement.

"The Royal Wolf team cut, processed and delivered a truckload of steel, which the team at the Men’s Shed could use for many different projects, including to build and modify their trailer,” says Dale Garson, Royal Wolf General Manager – Engineering.

"The alignment of what we do in building custom containers and the requirements of the Men’s Shed provided a win-win situation,” he says.

Living our values

Royal Wolf’s company values include being community-minded, having a passion for people, having visible leadership, as well as integrity, diversity, equity and inclusion.

The Hour of Impact initiative is the latest example of Royal Wolf and its staff living the company’s values through charity and community work.

Royal Wolf's commitment to supporting communities extends beyond volunteering initiatives. Read how Royal Wolf supported a mobile Indigenous community hub by donating a shipping container to support the Aboriginal Women's Support Group and provide a dedicated community gathering space. Royal Wolf has also helped community organisations by providing practical infrastructure solutions. Read how a temporary container building helped a surf club save lives by providing storage and operational facilities for the Kariaotahi Surf Lifesaving Club white its permanent clubrooms are rebuilt. 

“It’s been very positive. Even if it’s in a small way, we’ve been able to positively impact others,” says Patricia De Gori, Royal Wolf General Manager - Human Resources.

“This initiative aligns to our values as being community minded is something we strive for.”

Fiona says the energetic way in which Royal Wolf staff engaged with the initiative and dedicated more time than required showed the community spirit within the company.

“It speaks volumes about the type of people we have here at Royal Wolf. We look out for one another, and I think that’s a big part of being part of the Royal Wolf family,” she says.

“We want to lift everybody up and want people to flourish and thrive in their roles, but what I’ve seen through the Hour of Impact is the team wants those outside the organisation to flourish and thrive as well.”

Staff across the United Rentals business have exceeded the goal of 25,000 hours of impact, with more than 55,000 hours logged.

Royal Wolf staff on the month of impact

Darren Whelan, Regional Manager – South

“We arranged a blood drive for the depot and attendees really enjoyed the experience. Personally, I will do it again. It was a very positive and rewarding experience, and we all felt like we were making a difference.”

Mark Williams, Branch Manager – Townsville

“The Townsville staff packed food hampers for Food Relief, a non-profit business that helps the disadvantaged and homeless in North Queensland. We packed over four pallets of goods into boxes containing food, drinks, personal products and joy. Food Relief was very happy with the support.”

Shar Bourke, HSEQ Advisor – New Zealand

“We went to the Special Children’s Christmas Party for disadvantaged children and children with special needs in the wider Wellington region. Organisers were very grateful for our extra-hard work as they were extremely short staffed. By participating in these events, you can see the impact this day has on so many.”