American Express Leadership Academy

This month, twenty four emerging leaders –including 18 attendees from HandsOn Network Affiliates –participated in a marquis leadership development training program called the American Express Leadership Academy. This American Express program is developed and delivered by the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) and offers participants a feedback-intensive learning environment and hands-on activities to enhance leadership capacity. The Leadership Academy will be held again in October in conjunction with the 2015 Conference on Volunteering and Service in Houston, TX. Learn more here.

 

Duke Energy

The Duke Energy partnership kicked into full swing during the month of June with eight employee volunteer projects in five cities throughout North and South Carolina.  Most projects in June centered on environmental themes.  Beautification of public spaces in Raleigh, NC at the Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve, Greensboro, NC at the Downtown Greenway, Greenville, SC at the Oconee Station and Charlotte at The Dale Earnhardt Environmental Leadership Campus at Oak Springs resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in savings for these communities and miles of park improvements for residents to enjoy.  Additionally, the Oconee Station project resulted in a brand new bridge along the walking trail for park goers to use for many years to come.

 

Altria

In June, Altria engaged 1,078 volunteers at 30 nonprofits in the following 19 markets: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.

San Antonio, TX: The goal of the 20 volunteers was to repackage 12,500 diapers in two hours. Altria surpassed their goal of 12,500 diapers and repackage 20,600. Volunteers also donated diapers and items for the warehouse. The Texas Diaper Bank is a Safety Net for individuals and families in need. HandsOn Network Affiliates with United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County led this opportunity.

Sioux Falls, SD: On June 10, HandsOn Network Affiliate, Helpline Center, led a project for 35 volunteers with Lunch Is Served, Inc. The group put together sack lunches to distribute to clients served by Lunch Is Served, Inc. In two hours the group was able to feed 250 clients!

Jacksonville, FL: A great team of 26 employees volunteered with HandsOn Jacksonville on June 17 to complete 100 comfort kits. Each kit contained items to benefit children of families served by Hubbard House in Jacksonville. This activity will directly impact 100 local children between the ages of 3-10 during a time of crisis.

Malvern, PA: The opportunity with Hope Springs Equestrian Therapy, Inc. was very exciting for Altria employees and the horses! A total of 65 employees volunteered to wash the horses at the stable in addition to painting the barn, clearing existing trails, cleaning horse fields and extended current trails. HandsOn Network Affiliate United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey managed this project.

Modesto and Carlsbad, CA: In Modesto, a group of Altria employees volunteered with Habitat for Humanity Stanislaus County to assist with putting the finishing touches on a new home. On June 25 in Carlsbad, CA volunteers performed gardening and mulching tasks in the Center's native plant gardens, built picnic tables for newly built education areas, assembled field notebooks from recycled materials for students, and completed a paddle board cleanup on the lagoon.

 

Fidelity Investments

June marked the kickoff of our sixth year of partnership with Fidelity Investments, and Fidelity volunteers were hard at work in both Salt Lake City and Fort Worth. This year, Fidelity’s annual “School Transformation Days” will involve more than 2,800 employees at 14 events at schools across the country. The events will run June through October at all Fidelity regional locations and its company headquarters.

Salt Lake City, UT: Volunteering is a family affair for the Fidelity employees in Salt Lake City, and more than 180 employees, friends and family members joined HandsOn Network to transform Jackson Elementary School on June 20^th. The hard-working teams added functional new seating in a highly-trafficked area, brightened the front of the building with new landscaping, created artwork that will inspire kids to think about college and finished a makeover of the science lab that includes two custom murals.

Fort Worth, TX: Everything is bigger in Texas, including Transformation Day! Nearly 380 Fidelity volunteers were part of the two-day effort on June 26^th and 27^th. Under the direction of HandsOn Network Affiliate VolunteerNow, volunteers installed an outdoor classroom and seating area, brightened the front of the building with new landscaping, made over a classroom for the “teacher of the year,” painted classrooms and added line games and a map to the playground.

 

Prudential

The Scottsdale office for Prudential enjoyed the last of two projects with the US Vets Transitional Living Shelter.  During the June project, nine Prudential volunteers served our nation’s heroes through a barbeque dinner prepared and served by Prudential employees.  “I thought it was a great experience and I will gladly do it again.  Although I think the vets enjoyed it, I feel I got more out of it then they did.  It was humbling to see those who have sacrificed so much and now have so little.  I would have enjoyed spending more time visiting with the veterans and getting to know more than just what they wanted on their burgers.  :-)  My family and I volunteer in other areas but I now look forward to adding the Vets to our list of worthy causes and will certainly visit again.”  ~ Pam, Prudential Scottsdale Office

 

Allstate

Allstate had a fantastic month helping over 4,000 families in five cites prepare for disaster during the month of June.  The Good and Ready Disaster Preparedness Projects have proven to be a much needed activity as recent natural disasters have occurred in several cities where the projects have already taken place.  This June, families in West Palm Beach, Houston, Cincinnati, Seattle and Washington, DC were educated by Allstate agents and volunteers about the importance of preparing for disaster. In fact the Houston, TX Good and Ready was a part of the 2015 Hurricane Workshop presented by the Mayor’s office which took place exactly one week following the storms and flooding in the Houston area in June. The event quickly grew into a well attended 4,000+ person event because of those recent disasters. 

 

Bessemer Trust

Bessemer Trust had the second of its seven projects in June. This was the first time a Bessemer Trust project was held in Naples, FL.  HandsOn Network Affiliate United Way of Collier County managed the project at Grace Place for Children and Families, an education focused organization, on Friday, June 19, 2015. Seven volunteers distributed food to clients of the organization’s food pantry for a total of 21 volunteer hours. 

 

Citi

Citi’s 10^th Annual Global Community Day on June 13, 2015 was an opportunity for Citi volunteers, their friends and families to join together, using their time, skills and expertise to make a difference in the communities where they live and work. ServiceWorks - a groundbreaking national service program that is powered by the Citi Foundation, AmeriCorps and Points of Light - was excited to be a participant in the Citi Global Community Day service projects. The ServiceWorks program uses volunteer service as a strategy to help 25,000 underserved young adults in targeted U.S. cities develop the skills they need to prepare for college and careers. In the 10 U.S. cities where the ServiceWorks program is based, Citi and ServiceWorks volunteers participated in a wide variety of projects including preparing meals for the homeless in San Francisco, renovating a garden at a community center in Boston and building homes for veterans in Los Angeles.

 

For more information about any of these events, or to find out how you can get involved with Points of Light, please contact Madeline Eaton (meaton@pointsoflight.org or 404-979-2926).