Gemological Institute of America staff members at the Institute’s Carlsbad headquarters have founded a volunteer team to help improve North San Diego County communities. Titled, GIA Volunteer TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More,) the group’s founding members and other GIA staff participate in community outreach endeavors.

The Volunteer TEAM’s mission is to improve the communities in which GIA’s families live, work, learn, and play.

The group recently formed a clean-up crew to help preserve the Calavera Open Space in northeastern Carlsbad. GIA team unearthed broken concrete and debris that had been dumped in the vicinity and packed it onto a truck for proper disposal. The area is one of coastal north county San Diego’s largest native habitat areas.

Other GIA community projects include last year’s Earth Day/Trails Day Clean Up. Members of GIA’s Volunteer TEAM also contributed to ArtSplash, a family-oriented art event held in September, which was created to promote and support the arts within the community.

JCK