For the community manager of Cortland Bellevue in Nashville, Tennessee, Cortland's annual week of doing good deeds in the markets where it operates offered the chance to improve her city.

Kayla Shaver and Cortland employees participated this month in the apartment giant's week of volunteerism, with employees across the country working outside the office to combat homelessness and clean up and improve local communities. For Shaver and her Nashville colleagues, it meant hiking 2.5 miles to clean trails and remove invasive plants to keep pathways clear.