Sam Woods, Business Support Consultant at Tetra Tech, talks about being a Charity Champion, making a difference, and raising awareness for good causes in our offices.
What is your favourite part of being a Tetra Tech Charity Champion?
I really enjoy making a difference to others and I get a huge sense of satisfaction when people in our offices come together to raise money and awareness for a good cause. There’s something about the way everyone across the business collaborates to organise charity fundraisers and increase awareness that makes me proud to be part of it.
We have Charity Champions across all our offices. I share the Leicester office Charity Champion role with my colleague Sarah Strauther, Principal Transport Planner, and part of that responsibility includes encouraging participation and getting people interested in helping us raise funds.
You’ve been at Tetra Tech since 2017. What are your proudest achievements?
I have so many – one is being nominated for a ‘making a difference’ award for my customer support assistance with a client. I was completely blown away that anyone noticed what I did here every day, let alone put me forward for an award!
Ever since I’ve been here, Tetra Tech has made it a point to reward and celebrate everyone’s achievements, no matter what area of the business they work in. The fact my colleagues took it upon themselves to nominate me made that achievement feel extra special.
I’m proudest of working somewhere I feel seen, valued, and part of a company I believe in.
As a Charity Champion, is making a difference a passion of yours?
Making a difference is in my nature. I know that a little effort on my part can make a big difference to so many people, so I reach out to all my relevant contacts and get them to help as much as possible. But being competitive, I feel like I must beat whatever I did last time.
Having said that, I couldn’t do any of the above without the support of Tetra Tech and the wider team. We all get stuck in together and work as one to make a big difference.
What other fundraisers have you helped raise awareness for in the Leicester office?
In the Leicester office, I was part of the team to collect over 1000 items for Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire Trussell Trust. I made it a point to reach out to some lovely contacts I have from my personal life, who very kindly donated several items to the collection of items.
Support from people in my personal life really helped as well. The people in my village and some of the local businesses we reached out to were especially kind and supportive.
Each year, our colleagues nominate a charity for Tetra Tech to support. How did you help raise funds for Cash for Kids, our 2024 Charity of the Year?
I spoke to some personal contacts, and we received some amazing donations. Everyone was so generous and kind. As for encouraging my colleagues to donate, I made a load of cupcakes, which I decorated for Christmas, and I accepted a toy or two or donations in exchange for a cake!
In turn, Tetra Tech continued to encourage us to explore ways to raise money and awareness for the Charity of the Year. Being given the opportunity to engage with colleagues and bring fun ideas to the table really helps, so I’m grateful we’re given that freedom.
How have you helped to raise funds for Tetra Tech’s 2025 Charity of the Year, WellChild?
Some of my colleagues and I participated in Tetra Tech’s ‘Step Up Challenge’, a distance challenge inspired by some of the amazing children WellChild support, where you can choose a distance that reflects the journeys some of these children have to make for school or medical appointments by walking, cycling or swimming that same distance.
I chose the 257k challenge and ended up receiving two medals, which are even more special because they’re actually made by the kids at WellChild.
It doesn’t matter if we’re raising money through cakes, sponsored activities, or calling in a few favours from some personal contacts – it’s always good fun in the office and it’s always rewarding to give back to good causes.
Tetra Tech’s 2025 Charity of the Year, WellChild, is a UK nationwide children’s charity making it possible for children and young people with complex health needs get the care they need at home, instead of hospital, when possible. For more information, visit the WellChild website.
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