Carrie Shapiro has worked for a supplemental Health and Life Insurance Company based in Chicago for 11 years; and the company has an interesting way of getting their employees out of their comfort zones, encouraging them to volunteer and getting to know their community, while enriching their own lives.
Finding Purpose in Community Service
At Carrie’s company, growth isn’t just about corporate value, but a personal mission as well. Each year, employees are encouraged to step beyond what is familiar by choosing an activity that pushes them outside their norm, along with a volunteer opportunity that allows them to give back to their community. Carrie Shapiro, a two-year resident of Advance, NC, was excited to reach out, meet and learn about her new town and do activities she would never expect to see herself doing.
“The intangible benefits of volunteering such as pride, satisfaction and accomplishment are worthwhile reasons to serve. When we serve others, we improve lives, communities and transform our own lives. For the community volunteering effort, to date, I have participated in Watchmen of the Streets, based in Clemmons. I learned about the group’s efforts from an article in Forsyth Woman. I helped bag food to give to homeless people in the Winston-Salem area, literally living on the streets. I found Watchmen to be a compassionate group of good people helping those forgotten in the area. My experience was so rewarding that my husband and I signed up to help deliver the bags and other necessities like clothes, tents, blankets and toiletries. This was a very eye-opening and humbling experience, reminding us to be truly grateful for what we have,” said Carrie.
The second group Carrie volunteered for was Godbey Creek Canine Rescue, based out of Mocksville, NC, where she walked dogs, cleaned out kennels and organized donated items for dogs who were waiting on their forever homes. “Animal shelters are always a soft spot for me since many animals have no voice and rely on the good of people to help protect and nurture them,” Carrie commented.
From Comfort to Connection with Project YOU
The second part of Carrie’s company’s work program, Project YOU, is for employees to grow on a physical, creative, educational or professional level that a person might not do otherwise and needs encouragement to do. If there is a cost for the employee with Project YOU, the company’s policy is to reimburse the employee for 50% of the cost of the class, up to $100.
“I have signed up for HIIT Fitness classes, online classes to learn Spanish, glass blowing and, most recently, since moving to North Carolina from Chicago, trying yoga classes for a trial month at Sunrise Yoga Studio in Clemmons. I am hooked now and have incorporated the yoga classes into my evening and weekend schedule. I also attended the Mixxer Community Makerspace after reading about it in Forsyth Woman, enticing me to learn more. I decided to sign up to make a copper wind chime; this was out of my comfort zone as I had never used a drill or worked on a project in an industrial workshop environment. This class was held in a studio where local artists offer classes for the public to learn crafting skills and experience things like welding, resin casting, 3D printing, woodworking, leather working and much more. It was so nice to be in this highly talented artist studio and be creative in a way I wouldn’t normally think of doing,” stated Carrie.
The experiences have left a lasting impression on Carrie.
“I am fortunate that my employer cares about helping the community and their individual employees in tangible ways. The program helps bring balance to the usual nine to five working life. These classes and outreach opportunities have also helped me get to know my new community,” Carrie said.
In the workplace, there is opportunity to do more than just the internal everyday job duties. Whether externally helping in the community or internally, the culture of growth is alive and thriving, one challenge at a time, one act of service and one empowered employee, like Carrie, at a time.
