On May 16, Voya Financial celebrated its Fourth annual National Day of Service with hundreds of employees serving nonprofits at 18 locations across metro Atlanta. More than 400 local employees volunteered at local nonprofits, including the Covenant House and the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
The event began in 2014 as a way for, “Voya to demonstrate our corporate values – specifically, ‘We care.’ The regions where our employees live and work are important to us. Together, we can drive positive change in our communities,” said Christine Hurtsellers, chief executive officer at Voya Investment Management.
Employees and their families worked with nonprofit partners to build homes with Habitat for Humanity, mentor children and young adults at Cristo Rey, revitalize green spaces in their community at the Covenant House of Georgia and sort meals for those less fortunate at the Atlanta Community Food Bank, just to name a few.
“Volunteers help keep our campus clean, provide the evening meals, teach critical vocational and life skills, and help us to provide a warm and loving environment,” said Allison Ashe, executive director of the Covenant House.
Covenant House provides up to 90 days of shelter, vocation and educational services, street outreach and a 2-year independent living program for homeless youth. Last year, it served over 1,000 youth at its shelter, drop in center and through Street Outreach.
“In particular, our large corporate days of service at Covenant House show the youth at Covenant House that their community cares about them. Positive and caring role models are a powerful symbol that people believe in them — that they are seen — and that business leaders will take time out of their lives to support them in their journey. It goes a long way,” Ashe said.
Volunteering in its community has been Voya’s company philosophy. Aside from National Day of Service, the company allows its employees to take 40 hours to volunteer in their local community. This allowed Atlanta’s employees to contribute a total of 3,212 volunteer hours to local nonprofits in the 2016 calendar year.
Hurtsellers added, “National Day of Service allows us all to step away from our desks and exercise literal and figurative muscles that we don’t always use. It’s a reminder that every person can have an impact, and that we are always stronger together.”
In other news: Cyclists participated in Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance's Ovarian Cycle, an indoor cycling event that raised $60,000 for ovarian cancer research. Held at the CYCLEBAR locations in East Cobb/Marietta and in Dunwoody, the event raised money for ovarian cancer research and to honor the life of Atlanta resident, Debbie Green Flamm, who succumbed to the disease at age 43. The event is held across at least 15 major U.S. cities and has raised more than $3.5 million to fund scientific research since its inception in 2004.
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