MANCHESTER, N.H. — St. Mary’s Bank said its employee volunteerism remained high in 2019, with even more employees reaching personal volunteer-hour milestones than in 2018.
One-hundred-and-thirty-seven employees generously volunteered 4,595 hours — the equivalent of 574 eight-hour workdays — to more than 150 organizations such as Boys & Girls Club of Greater Manchester, The CareGivers, Make-A-Wish NH and The Salvation Army, among many others, the credit union said.
Fifty-four employees achieved individual volunteerism milestones this year, up 15% from 2018. Top volunteer Jake Powers, senior accountant, alone logged more than 230 hours coaching and volunteering at several area organizations. Marketing director Elizabeth Stodolski was not far behind, completing over 200 hours primarily in service of Scouting for Bedford Troop 5 and the Daniel Webster Council, Boy Scouts of America.
“I admire and applaud our employees for giving so much of their time and energy to making a positive impact in our communities,” said President/CEO Ron Covey. “Now more than ever, their passion for service inspires and guides us as we continue our long-standing mission of ‘people helping people’.”
In fact, St. Mary’s Bank said its annual United Way corporate donations are determined in part by where employees spend their volunteer hours, according to Pamela Roy, the credit union’s senior vice president and director of human resources.
“Aligning financial support with volunteer efforts is one of the many ways we encourage and show appreciation for employee volunteerism,” said Roy.
The credit union’s volunteer-hour milestone club recognizes employees with a small award starting at 25 volunteer hours completed. “My favorite incentive is at the 100-plus-hour level,” said Michelle Chergey, community relations coordinator. “To thank these individuals, St. Mary’s Bank will donate $100 to the non-profit of their choice.”
In 2018, St. Mary’s Bank added a volunteer time off (VTO) program to make it easier for employees to find time to volunteer. “We offer a minimum of eight hours of VTO for non-exempt fulltime employees to use during work hours for any volunteer opportunity,” said Chergey, who organizes volunteer activities for employees on and off the clock.
What I love about our volunteer program is all the support we receive from St. Mary’s Bank,” said Powers. “The financial contributions, plus the volunteer time off program, really maximize the impact we make.”