Our mission at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond is to serve our District by strengthening our economy and communities. One way we do that is by participating in hands-on community service aimed at advancing financial literacy, developing workforce preparation and building stronger communities.
Seven years ago, the Supervision, Regulation and Credit (SRC) department wanted to celebrate the holiday season, get out from behind their desks and go directly into our community for a day of giving. Since then, the day of giving has expanded into multiple days of community service across our District, from Baltimore to Charlotte.
SRC’s Days of Giving is an employee-led initiative, with two volunteer co-chairs and a planning committee of about 15 people. The co-chairs focus on bringing events that align with the bank’s mission, but also resonate with employees. Over 100 SRC employees have signed up to volunteer. All of the current volunteer opportunities have been returning projects due to the feedback and success of last year’s Days of Giving.
“The Days of Giving events are an opportunity for our staff to become aware of needs in our community and support the Fed’s community outreach initiative,” co-chairs Jessica Olayvar and Mina Oldham said. “Personally, we enjoy volunteering each year because we get to know coworkers across the department and engage with the community that the Fed serves. The activities all require a different skillset and challenge us in unique ways, but every event makes an impact. That’s a great feeling to walk away with at the end of the day.”
Our Baltimore branch is kicking off our Days of Giving on November 15 at My Sister’s Place, which is a shelter that provides women and children a safe environment, housing, food, skills training and other resources. Richmond Fed volunteers will be spending the day serving lunch and cleaning the shelter.
Advancing Financial Literacy Through Junior Achievement
We want to make an impact in our community, and our strength is understanding economics and financial literacy, which aligns well with Junior Achievement. Both our Charlotte and Richmond offices will be volunteering at Junior Achievement to help local children better understand budgeting and finances.
Our Charlotte branch will be leading JA in a Day, where our volunteers pair up and teach children for a day. While learning a curriculum and finding meaningful ways to teach the material can be demanding, it is one of our employees’ favorite programs because it challenges them in new ways. Our Richmond office will be running the JA Finance Park, which is basically a technology-driven, more advanced Game of Life, where students get assigned a job, family, salary and other life details, and then have to navigate financial problems like budgeting.
Addressing Hunger and Housing Needs in Our Community
Another one of our community service pillars is building a stronger community, and we know that access to food and housing are the foundation of a strong community. Our Richmond office will be addressing hunger in our region by volunteering two days at Feed More stuffing backpacks and sorting cans at the food bank. Our Charlotte branch will be serving up food at Second Harvest for their second day of giving.
Richmond will also be volunteering at Housing Families First and the Habitat Restore to help those in need of affordable housing. Tasks include cleaning, sorting donations and preparing rooms for families who need a place to live.
While we are extremely proud of our employee’s commitment to the Days of Giving, we are even prouder of the continuing relationships these opportunities create. Often, our Days of Giving volunteers find their passion through these organizations, and end up using some of their personal volunteer-time off to go back to serve these local organizations.
We’ll be sharing live on-site #DayOfGiving updates, so follow us on Facebook and Twitter so you don’t miss out!
During the holiday season and every day, we are thankful for our communities and the opportunity we have to serve you.
