Giving Back at MLC
“I want to give back, I want to help the less fortunate, the young, the old, those from deprived backgrounds and those with real potential and desire to do great things who just haven’t been shown how or been given the right opportunities to do so.”
Setting up the business in 2014 and taking a plunge from the security of an established recruitment company, CEO Pete Marshall set a list of life goals for his dream business. Point 7, to give back, was and has been a focus of MLC Partners ever since. And from the first year of business until now, we’re proud to say it has remained integral to the business.
“During 2014, we weren’t in a position to give back financially, but giving our time and volunteering was within reach,” explains Pete. “We started a pilot scheme with housing charity Look Ahead aimed at giving people, who had been homeless and given shelter, the tools and confidence to get back into work.
“We were able to dedicate our skillset, setting up mock interviews, coaching and providing mentorship for some of the participants, as well as helping them to build a positive CV to put them in a good position for employment.”
The scheme showed us just what we could give back, highlighting the importance of our time and the impact it could have.
The following years saw the MLC team dedicating their time to activity days, including spending time with Rays of Sunshine, a charity that supports terminally ill children and their families. This was a tough experience for the team, but something that we were incredibly grateful to be involved with; meeting the children and their families was possibly one of the most humbling experiences of our lives.
More recently we supported Kids on Track, which runs activity programmes for children from the most deprived areas and backgrounds. The goal is to give them the opportunity to try activities they wouldn’t otherwise get the chance to do and to support them to build their confidence and social skills.
“As the business has grown, we’ve continued to give our time,” explains Pete. “We support financially, but experiencing the programmes or work carried out by these charities allows us to share, develop and grow as well. The team is always grateful that MLC gives them the time and the opportunity to give something back. I believe volunteering helps us feel fulfilled and teaches us to appreciate what we have.
“It’s important to remember where we came from. I have worked hard and I am lucky that I’m now in a position to give back. I don’t take that for granted. Life is much shorter than we realise and it is easy to get caught up in life. Often the things we worry or stress about day to day, really aren’t that important when you take a step back and look at the bigger picture.
“I’ve always been taught that giving back is something you should do. My Great Gran, Gran and Mum took part in a nuclear disarmament walk while my mum was pregnant with me – my Great Gran was actually arrested during this trip, but that’s a story for another time! So, my first philanthropic activity was actually while I was in the womb! Similarly, my Great Aunt and Uncle were a teacher and a doctor respectively and they moved to Pakistan and then Malawi to help those in need.”
Proudly believing that the universe gives back to you what you put into it, Pete also became Trustee of a homeless charity in Coventry for two years, working to help improve the charity on an organisational level.
Now in 2023, we have working with Panathalon Challenge, a charity supporting children with learning difficulties and helping them develop through sport.
“It’s a really important part of who we are at MLC Partners,” adds Pete. “We do things differently, we give back, we know who we are and we will always remain aware of where we have come from.”
