Connections Volunteer Center recently celebrated Volunteer Appreciate Week A
pril 15-21, highlighting various individuals and organizations that contribute their time, talent and treasure in meaningful ways throughout Delaware County. One major corporate community steward is Del-Co Water based in Delaware, Ohio. We caught up with Lori Terry, Outreach Coordinator, who shared why volunteerism is a major part of their organizational DNA.
How did you first hear of Connections Volunteer Center?
I heard about Connections through the United Way. They gave me a lot of resources when I got started in my position as Outreach Coordinator about a year to a year and a half ago. As outreach coordinator I set up all outreach efforts within the county. It’s my job to see where the needs are in the county.
With so many great causes and organizations to give your time, why is it volunteerism important to Del-Co Water? It’s really important for our General Manager Glenn Marzluf to have our team volunteer. Personally, I also think it’s important to give back to the community and do events that give back to our customers. It’s also great for team building. It’s our goal to do about 10 volunteer activities a year as a corporation. We have about 95-100 employees and I think we did pretty well in our first year of giving back. We have a lot of volunteer activities on the calendar for 2018.
What types of volunteer events has Connections coordinated for your company? We volunteered for two mobile pantries for United Way sponsored Supplies for Schola
rs, in Ostrander and Ashley, OH. The employees really enjoyed volunteering at the mobile pantries. We didn’t realize there was such a need in the Ostrander and Ashley communities.
In 2017, we coordinated a drive at Del-Co Water to collect candy and toys to fill nearly 260 Easter eggs. We filled the eggs and donated them to Liberty Community Center (LCC) for their annual Easter activities. We were excited to participate!
We have also volunteered at Common Ground Free Store for Make a Difference Day. We worked at the store and donated the meal for the day. It was a very good event and the employees that volunteered enjoyed it.
Describe the impact you witnessed during your volunteer experiences? Supplies for Scholars was really an eye-opening. We saw kids that had a need for a basic book bag – you don’t realize the need until you have an experience like this.
What’s one thing you wish people knew about volunteering? I wish they knew that there are many different places where you can volunteer. Find what’s right for you or what fits you best. There is something for everyone and always something to do. Even something as small as donating candy for Easter eggs, it’s something anybody can do. It’s been great to get involved with Connections.
Thank you to Del-Co Water for their commitment to serving the Delaware County community and being the greater good.
Article and interview conducted by Erin Coss, Marketing and Training Coordinator, Connections Volunteer Center.
