It seems that staying busy is a growing trend. There have even been studies done proving America to be one of the most overworked countries in the world, and that the average American has about 30 minutes of free time a day.
Once the holiday season hits, you could probably cut that down to five due to the Christmas parties every other weekend and the never-ending list of gifts to buy. This year at Karis, we’re taking the time to pause in the midst of the holiday craze and reflect on what it looks like to give back.
Giving back is something that was ingrained into the company mindset from the very beginning. When Dr. Dale founded The Karis Group, he did it because he saw a problem within our healthcare system and an opportunity to give back. After receiving an overpriced medical bill for his knee surgery and negotiating it down to a fair price, Dr. Dale realized that many people fall victim to inappropriate charges and inflated medical bills without knowing there’s an option to negotiate the price down.
Dr. Dale’s vision was to ensure patients pay a fair price for their care so that they could put their hard-earned money towards something more beneficial, like a college fund for their kids.
If you’ve been around Dr. Dale, you may have heard him say “imagine if the money spent on healthcare was put back into the pockets of Americans, and all of the good that could be done with it,” looking at the $3.65 trillion that was spent in 2018 – that’s a lot of good.
Now, after twenty-three years, The Karis Group is a company staffed with people who got behind his vision of giving back. We have a team of patient advocates and member advisors who take the time to listen, empathize, and problem-solve for our members who find themselves caught in sticky financial situations due to their health needs.
As Karis grew and profits began trickling in, Dr. Dale, led by his faith, saw another opportunity to give back by setting funds aside monthly to support local and global organizations. This eventually turned into the First Fruits Committee, a team designated to make sure company funds are given each quarter and to organizing ways for the Karis employees to give back.
Many of the organizations that have received funding from Karis over the years spend time teaching health education, hygiene, women’s health, efficient farming practices, and life skills to people who live in impoverished areas around the world. Funding from the Karis group has gone to places all over South Asia, Africa, South America, and nationwide. One of the local organizations that Karis has had a long-term relationship with is Community First! Village, an Austin based organization, dedicated to helping people experiencing homelessness navigate their way back to being self-sustaining by providing housing and teaching them the skills needed to get back into the job force.
Over the years, Karis employees have been impacted and inspired by Dr. Dale’s giving back mentality. This year specifically, the Karis team has put together gift bags to give to the homeless, sent care packages and words of encouragement to cancer patients, and funded organizations seeking to start community health centers and bring clean water to rural areas in Africa. As for our services, we’re continually looking for new ways to serve and give back to our members by expanding our services to match the demand of the overly complicated healthcare system.
Looking forward, we’re excited about new opportunities to give back – and we encourage you during this busy season to take your thirty minutes of free time to pause, reflect, and think about how you can too!
To learn more about The Karis Group and our Karis Cost Containment Services, you can visit our What We Do page or Contact Us to schedule an intro call.
To apply to our First Fruits program, please fill out this application and we will review your submission.
