HireSmart Cares empowers the children of its Filipino virtual employees to learn the skills they need to succeed.
Vanessa is full of pride for her daughter, Jana, who thrived last year in the best private school in her area, an experience that wouldn’t have been possible without a scholarship from HireSmart Cares.
Jana earned an academic excellence award in her new school and made many new friends.
“I am so proud,” said Vanessa. “It's a new school and new environment, yet she fit in so well. The academic excellence award shows that she is really doing well.”
Jana received one of HireSmart Cares’ 25 educational scholarships last year and continues to receive the assistance this year. HireSmart awards private school funding for up to four years for each Filipino educational scholarship recipient.
Vanessa and her husband, Edgar, also have a son, Josiah, who is attending college and plans to be a civil engineer. Jana talks about being an architect.
Vanessa is in her sixth year as a HireSmart employee, serving the entire time with a community association management client in the U.S. She said she considers her U.S. co-workers as family, and noted how caring they were this past year as her mother, Ruth, battled cancer and passed away.
“I love them,” she said. “They’re family, and throughout the journey I had with my mom, they were there for me. They’re amazing. I can’t ask for anything more. I'm enjoying working with them.”
She said she and her three sisters are leaning on each other through the tough time.
“I'm just so thankful that all my sisters are here with me,” she said. “I still have my father. So all our love and affection are on him now.”
Vanessa said she feels deep loyalty to her U.S. client.
“I have this genuine concern for what the company is doing,” she said.
The accounting department employee said several years ago another department with the company had a wave of resignations.
“I was concerned why we're having those issues,” she said. “And so I reached out to the management and offered help. I don't want everyone to be discouraged because I love the company and I love my job. I love the people I'm working with.”
Her client’s management team assigned Vanessa to the troubled department for several weeks, and she helped them pull through the ordeal.
“I was glad to help in a tough time,” she said.
Vanessa’s actions show several of HireSmart’s SMARTER core values at work. She focused on being of “service” to others by being “available” in a time of need, and she strengthened the “relationship” with her client, who also supported her as she faced hardship this past year.
HireSmart Cares invests in its Filipino families because they are all part of a bigger family. And we support one another. The scholarship program is that principle put to action.
If you want to contribute to HireSmart’s Filipino scholarship fund, click here.
Hydee’s pride in her son, Prince Javier, is obvious as she smiles while talking about him — and for good reason.
The 9-year-old HireSmart scholarship recipient won citizenship and academic awards this past school year, receiving his class’s “Peacemaker Award” and “Little Teacher Award,” while earning a fourth rank in his class.
“I am very proud, of course,” said Hydee, a mother of three who can keep her children in a quality private school thanks to an educational scholarship through her employer, HireSmart Virtual Employees.
Hydee says the scholarship makes a huge difference for her family.
“It’s a great help when it comes to our financials,” she said. “I don’t have to think about the problem of paying the tuition fees every month because of this scholarship. I can focus more on my child’s learning and his development.”
Hydee is proud of how Prince Javier, who enjoys painting landscapes, overcame initial shyness at his school and has now made many friends. He likes having them visit his house, or he meets friends to play basketball or be a part of group studies.
Prince Javier also looks out for his little brother, who is also at the school.
“He’s very responsible,” she said. “He will go out and check on his little brother during snacks and lunchtime.”
Hydee has worked with HireSmart Virtual Employees for three years, handling accounting and bookkeeping for a property management client in the U.S.
She said she finds great peace of mind working with HireSmart instead of trying to link with an online client independently.
“Working on your own, they can just end your contract, and everything ends there,” she said. “They will leave you hanging. When you are with an agency, especially HireSmart, if we lose our client, they will get you another if you have a good record with your previous client. It gives us peace of mind and inspires us to work hard because HireSmart is there.”
Hydee urges new virtual employees to do their best and be patient.
“The first and second month, the stress is there,” she said. “Everything is not in order. It’s like a puzzle and everything is scrambled, and you need to find a way to make them orderly. Each day, as you learn, everything will go straight.”
HireSmart recognizes that its employees make the company special, and they need to be treated that way. That’s why HireSmart provides 25 educational scholarships for the children of its employees. The company also provides health and dental benefits at no cost to the U.S. clients.
HireSmart wants children like Prince Javier to have a bright future.
“He’s not definite (on a career path),” said Hydee. “He mentioned wanting to be a priest. The principal is a priest. He also told us he wanted to be an engineer.”
Prince Javier has plenty of time to figure that out. In the meantime, he can get a quality education with HireSmart’s help.
Filipino citizens interested in a career with HireSmart can click here to apply.
When a home burns to the ground, there’s the loss of both past and future — the memories and the plans — along with a disorienting plunge into a chaotic present for families who escape the blaze minus all their belongings.
Day or night, it’s a nightmare.
Unfortunately, such tragedies are all too common. And we can’t help every suffering family. We don’t have that power. But here at HireSmart Cares, we do what we can to make life better for as many as possible.
HireSmart’s primary philanthropic focus is helping kids build a good life through a variety of vocational and agricultural scholarships and initiatives, but our nonprofit also focuses on helping people rebuild their lives, whether it’s with assistance for the local food bank or providing aid for families struggling after natural disasters, as we did when we helped 31 Filipino families after Typhoon Rai in 2021.
HireSmart answered the call again recently when one of its Filipino employees and her family lost their home in a devastating fire.
“Our home was engulfed in flames, resulting in the destruction of our belongings, cherished memories, and a place we once called our safe haven,” the employee said. “The fire spread rapidly, leaving us with nothing on our backs and an overwhelming sense of uncertainty about our future.”
HireSmart jumped in with financial assistance to help the employee and her family in their recovery.
The grateful employee said assistance in a time of need restores “our faith in humanity and gives us the strength to move forward.”
“Words cannot express the gratitude we feel,” the employee said. “Your kindness and compassion make an immense difference in our lives and bring hope where it is desperately needed.”