This holiday season was brightened for many of our participants, thanks to our January 2018 Volunteer Group of the Month! BMO Harris Bank’s USA HR Team generously partnered with Inspiration Corporation to provide hundreds of gifts for the kids in our housing program, as well as household cleaning kits for each home. It was wonderful to work with such a dedicated group of volunteers, and we’re so thankful for their partnership. Check out what BMO’s Sr. Talent Advisor, Jill Verges had to say about their experience:
How did your group decide to support Inspiration Corporation?
Inspiration Corporation came in to speak to a sub set of our HR team about a year ago and received rave reviews so we wanted to engage our broader HR team for our large annual giving event called our BMO HR Day of Difference. We wanted to ensure our support went to a local organization that had direct impact in our community and Inspiration Corporation’s mission and story were very inspiring to our team!
What is the most enjoyable part of volunteering for you?
Our HR team loved the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and give back to an organization that does so much for our community. The volunteer experience offered HR colleagues the opportunity to come together collaboratively to give back, which always feels good!
What other volunteer opportunities has your group participated in?
BMO has a long history of supporting a wide variety of organizations in our local communities both financially and through volunteer experiences. Employees have the opportunity to volunteer together in their local communities each summer during the BMO “Volunteer Day” or throughout the year as well as during the annual United Way Employee Giving Campaign “Days of Caring” and specific group events such as our HR Day of Difference.
Why does your group volunteer?
BMO has corporate commitment to social responsibility and encourages and supports employees in giving back to the community through local organizations. There are so many reasons our employees choose to volunteer. Many of them have personally been helped by community organizations and want a chance to give back to show their thanks. Others are truly appreciative of the blessings in their lives and are committed to sharing them with others for the benefit of our communities. We know the need is great and the importance of giving back!
Describe one of the most interesting experiences you’ve had as a volunteer.
Our planning committee for our HR event had so much fun coming together to work with Inspiration Corporation on a product drive and to wrap gifts for kids in your housing units. We learned about bulk shopping and how heavy household products can be. We were thrilled to be able to work together to package 120 BMO bags filled with household items and wrap over 100 gifts for the kids in your housing units.
What have you learned from your volunteer experience?
Our team was really inspired by the grass roots efforts of Inspiration Corporation as well as the success you’ve had in helping people get back on their feet by enhancing their skills to get back into the work force. Evan and Rodney were fantastic representatives for Inspiration Corporation; the team loved hearing and learning about the positive impact of their work; we were so grateful to be able to help in such a direct way and in addition, that we were able to engage the catering services of the Inspiration team for our fantastic lunch!