Global Volunteer Month helps spotlight Hylanders’ acts of service

Every April, Global Volunteer Month celebrates the power of people who tackle society’s greatest challenges to build stronger, more vibrant communities through volunteerism and everyday actions.

This month, we’re launching our Volunteer Recognition program, dedicated to honoring Hylanders who have made a tremendous impact through volunteerism, and encouraging even more Hylanders to roll up their sleeves and get involved in these efforts.

Big impacts start in our communities

Hylanders have great pride in serving our communities throughout the year, a core value that’s been with our company from the very beginning. Across the globe, we are here to help, and encourage all employees to get involved.

Research shows that while 73% of people believe that volunteering is more important than ever, 66% think they cannot make a big impact in their communities.

“The idea that we as individuals are too small to make a big difference has really been proven wrong, especially over the past few years,” said Tracy Petrakis, Community Engagement Manager. “What we’ve learned is that we don’t need to focus on the impossible task of how we, alone, can change the world. It starts at the community level where we are a small group made up of individuals who can all make a difference and help our neighbors. Our communities are really important and if we focus on the big impact we as individuals can make locally, we can understand how each individual contributes to the larger picture.”

To encourage volunteerism at the individual level, we offer employees:

• Annual allotment of 24 hours of Volunteer Time Off (VTO): Time to dedicate at an organization that means the most to our employees.
• Annual days of service: Specific days of volunteer opportunities coordinated by our Community Engagement team for all employees to participate in – an annual event we have coordinated for over a decade.
• Dollar-for-Dollar matching: Employees earn matched rewards up to $250 annually, for personal donations made and/or $10 per hour of volunteer time - rewards dollars are then donated to an organization of the employee's choice.

Volunteerism benefits all

If you think individuals can’t make a difference in a big way, take note from one of our instructional designers and this quarter’s Volunteer Spotlight, Caitlin Fertal, who dedicates her time volunteering at Friendship Animal Protective League (APL), a nonprofit humane society in Elyria, OH.

“I feel a true sense of meaning and pride when I volunteer at Friendship [APL]. I love dogs and know how much they appreciate the time out of their kennel. Now that I run the Hyland VTO program at Friendship, I have an even larger sense of accomplishment by getting other Hylanders to come out and volunteer too,” said Fertal. “It’s been really rewarding showing folks how to work with the dogs and then letting them off on their own to spend some quality time with their new four-legged (sometimes three-legged) friends.”

Fertal’s volunteer journey with Friendship APL was born out of Hyland’s Summer of Service event back in 2019 and has grown ever since. “Twenty four hours [of VTO] means we can get a group of Hylanders out every month!”

Volunteering in our communities proves beneficial to the organizations we are helping and is also rewarding for our employees as well. “The most gratifying part of my service is seeing the dogs leave the shelter,” Fertal said. “Being able to do this keeps me happy.”?

Call to action

We’re proud of our programs and partnerships that have a direct impact on our communities. Learn more about our global commitment to volunteerism.?