Serve and Learn with the Santee Cooper Team
At Santee Cooper, we are really trying to increase employee engagement in the work and mission of Trident United Way (TUW) throughout the year. When we began our planning for Santee Cooper’s employee giving campaign, we decided that we wanted to be more informed advocates for TUW. This spring, our campaign team participated in two unique “serve and learn” opportunities with TUW funded partners.
We kicked off the day at Lowcountry Food Bank with a tour of the warehouse facilities and then spent some time packing food that goes directly to people in our community. “Most people want to feel valued. Through volunteering I can help give the feeling that someone cares back to them,” says team member Nancy Gurley.
We ended the day at Florence Crittenton Programs of SC, which helps at-risk pregnant women
become self-sufficient and responsible parents. “When I first heard about Florence Crittenton, I automatically thought it was simply a shelter for young, pregnant teens, but once I was able to see inside, I realized that it’s also a place that focuses highly on education, health, and financial stability day in and day out,” says Shelly Grimsley, one of our team members. We took a tour of the home, which welcomed its first resident in 1932, and then hosted a healthy cooking class for the girls who are currently in residence.
Through these opportunities, we learned more about the mission of TUW and the collaborative nature of its work. We saw how our impact is magnified with Trident United Way and translates into measurable change in our community. “This summer was my first time volunteering with TUW and my experience with just a few of the funded partners has truly been eye-opening. Before volunteering with TUW I never understood just how much it does for the community, and I was able to see it firsthand,” Shelly says.
This campaign season, we will spread our personal volunteer stories throughout our company and encourage other Santee Cooper employees to give. But more meaningfully, we were also able to invest our time and make a difference in our community where we live and work.
-Santee Cooper Campaign Team
Brittany White, Shelly Grimsley, Sammie Taylor, Caleb Rodgers, Nancy Gurley, Kearney Gregory
Want to become more engaged with TUW’s community work through your workplace? Contact Amy Maciariello, Business Partnership Officer, to get started. There are opportunities for engagement all year long!