This volunteer initiative encouraged employees in 60 different branches across 13 different states to volunteer at food shelves or food banks or participate in a food drive in their local office.
In September 2021, after not volunteering together for more than a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, employees in RBC Wealth Management’s west division came together to fight hunger. To mark Feeding America’s Hunger Action Month, colleagues in branches across 13 states volunteered more than 1,000 hours together, and raised over $100,000 for donating to nonprofits in the community.
In September 2022, they did it again.
For the second year in a row, employees in the west were encouraged to volunteer at food shelves or food banks in their area, or hold donation or fundraising drives at their local offices. In all, employees volunteered a total of 1,455 hours throughout September—the equivalent of more than 60 days—far exceeding the initial goal of 1,000 hours.
In addition to that time and effort, the participating branches also raised a total of $112,000 for donating to local charities or foodbanks.
“It’s amazing to think what we’ve accomplished together through this initiative,” says Darryl Traweek, director of RBC Wealth Management’s west division. “It shows what you can do when people come together to support an important cause.”
RBC Wealth Management employees at the Utah food bank social.
For Jordan Williams, an assistant manager of RBC Wealth Management’s Desert Southwest complex, the turnout showed how much employees care about giving back to their communities.
“I think it just shows you that everyone wants to help,” says Williams, who served as a “volunteer champion” for the initiative in 2021 and 2022. “Our branches are full of volunteers who want to get involved.”
That sentiment was echoed by Andy Teller, director of the RBC Wealth Management Texas complex, who engaged with and encouraged the more than 200 employees in his complex to find some way to get involved with the volunteer event.
“There was power in doing this as an RBC family,” Teller says. “It didn’t matter what your role was or where you were from, we all did the same things, and we did it together.”
Phoenix employees volunteered together at a local food bank in 2021.
After the success of the initiative in both 2021 and 2022, Williams and others at RBC Wealth Management hope to build on the momentum to continue getting their colleagues involved.
“It’s important to remember there’s a need in our communities all of the time,” Williams says. “It’s not just a one-time thing.”
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