When Hayden saw the superhero-themed playhouse built just for him, he was so excited that he immediately ran to play inside. Decked out with Avenger embellishments, his was one of 12 unique playhouses built and decorated by VyStar employees in support of Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville (HabiJax) families during the 2023 Good is everywhere Celebration.
In its second year, the Celebration’s volunteerism impact grew 10-fold from the 2022 program, with employees supporting everything from local farms to meal distributions to beach cleanups and more.
VyStar created Good is everywhere in 2022 as a first-of-its-kind celebration. Combining employee volunteerism, donations to charitable organizations and free admission to exciting attractions, the program was truly a celebration of VyStar’s purpose to Do Good in the places it calls home.
Almost immediately after the inaugural year concluded, planning began to significantly expand the program’s impact. “How much good can be done if all 2,000-plus employees volunteered during this focused time period?” VyStar’s leadership team thought. With that vision in mind, the 2023 Celebration grew tremendously! From Sept. 15-30, more than 1,300 employees logged over 5,500 volunteer hours across the communities we serve. HabiJax was one of more than 100 organizations that employees supported through volunteerism.
“Our employees are committed to making a difference for our members and for the nonprofit organizations that make our communities a better place for everyone,” said SVP/President VyStar Foundation Patricia McElroy. “We are so proud of the time they committed to volunteering, and we wanted to support their efforts by providing every employee an opportunity to participate in Good is everywhere and feel that they truly made a difference.”
Out Doing Good
The decision to open volunteer opportunities to every employee in 2023 involved significant preparation from teams across the organization. One of the biggest challenges was that more than half of VyStar’s staff support members every day either at our branches or from our Contact Center. The question facing VyStar: How could we engage all those employees while ensuring minimal disruption to our members?
Modifying branch hours on Sept. 19-20 was the answer. In an unprecedented commitment to supporting our communities through volunteerism, and with approvals from financial regulators and VyStar’s Board of Directors, half of our more than 70 branches closed at noon on Sept. 19 and other half closed at noon on Sept. 20. This enabled over 700 branch employees to make an impact in their communities.
VyStar branches identified needs in their individual communities and organized their own volunteer events. Examples of these events included the Ocala branch building picnic tables for Episcopal Children’s Services and the Kernan branch painting a fence for the Beaches Historical Society. Meanwhile, the Starke branch volunteered at Bradford County Animal Shelter and the Oviedo branch had a food pantry and thrift store takeover at Hope Helps.
The volunteer work extended beyond our branch employees. An additional 60 volunteer opportunities were open to the entire organization. Employees helped serve breakfast at the Clara White Mission while others volunteered at the Emerald Trail 5K/10K Run-Walk-Ride to support Groundwork Jacksonville. There were plenty of other volunteer events available from Jacksonville to Orlando to Georgia, and anywhere in between.
“Being able to step away from my daily responsibilities and volunteer in support of those in need was an incredibly rewarding experience,” said Paul T., member services representative at the Downtown Jacksonville branch. “It gave me the feeling that I was part of an organization that cared as much about my community as I do.”
Good is everywhere By the Numbers
The variety of ways VyStar gave back really added up.
1,316 employees donated 5,593 volunteer hours to nonprofits across all our communities
VyStar volunteers participated in service projects at 128 nonprofit organizations
VyStar provided 16 days of free events to credit union members
12,381 VyStar members registered to attend free member days at 10 cultural and educational destinations
VyStar donated $56,400 to participating nonprofit organizations
It’s Great to be a VyStar Member All Year Long
While our Good is everywhere celebration has wrapped up for 2023, VyStar continues to give back to our members and community organizations all year long. VyStar members can take advantage of the VyStar Perks program, with discounted tickets to events like Orlando Solar Bears and Savannah Ghost Pirates hockey games, Orlando Magic basketball games, annual memberships to Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, train rides at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens and much more.
About the Author
Deidre Hicks is a Marketing Manager at VyStar. Before joining VyStar, she was a marketing coordinator at the Jacksonville Public Library. She graduated from Florida State University and resides in Jacksonville.