Let’s Celebrate Employers Who Support Volunteerism

By:  Rosemary Gantz

During the holiday, while many people are celebrating. I was having a hard time getting focused and “in the spirit” this year. Then our whole team took a tour of the American Red Cross facilities in our hometown headquarters of Columbus, Ohio. We went to deliver our donation to support the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

We learned a lot about The American Red Cross when they became of a client of ours. And then we saw the incredible work of these volunteers in response to Hurricane Sandy. Our hearts grew three sizes they say! Volunteers are the engine of this organization, with tens of thousands hours donated from volunteers from every state.

“Volunteers come from all walks of life,” says Mark Innocenzi, Regional Director of Volunteers, Central-Southeast Ohio Region. “It’s always amazing to see.” In the State of Ohio, the State government allows them to go and this is true for many states. Volunteers will take a temporary leave of absence or take personal time off, and many companies encourage their employees to go and participate in programs like Ready When The Time Comes.  This is a company focused program that helps to make sure your building is prepared should a disaster strike you, and in return Red Cross asks that your employees are allowed to help when another local disaster hits. “Safelite is a great local example of a company who really supports us,” said Mark. To us at McIntyre, this sounds like a great thing for every company to do.

So we just want to pass along our humble thanks to those businesses, big and small, who allow their associates the opportunity to respond to these disasters. Thank you for supporting your volunteers. And our big-hearted THANKS go to the American Red Cross for all they do.