2020 Day of Caring

In the spirit of continuous improvement, each year we set out to identify ways that Greenleaf Trust could have an even greater impact on the communities in which we live and work. Our team currently serves on numerous non-profit and not-for-profit boards, partners financially with community impact firms through giving and fundraising efforts, and collectively volunteers countless hours each year. This is not something they are required to do as part of their employment at Greenleaf Trust, it’s simply something they are compelled to do because of who they are.

Our commitment to the communities we serve was strengthened once again through our fifth and largest annual Day of Caring. Each President’s Day, with capital markets closed, teammates are given the day off to form groups and volunteer together at a non-profit of their choosing within their respective communities. As our team has grown, so has our impact. Over 1,000 hours on this day alone were spent giving back to food pantries, youth programs, resource centers and other non-profit institutions, many of which are clients within the communities in which we live, work, and seek to remain deeply rooted. Teammates sewed, painted, cleaned, organized, prepared lunches, donated, and read at nearly 15 different non-profits in our communities.

A couple of stories from our 2020 Day of Caring stood out to me and were representative of why we started this tradition. The first involved one of our teammates volunteering with her two boys at SPCA of Southwest Michigan. Their day mostly involved helping with kennel maintenance. However, after their work was done, they were able to visit with the dogs that were up for adoption. After meeting Senator Chunky, they knew they were the ones to provide her with a forever family and home. They applied and were selected through the adoption process and cannot imagine their family without her.

For the past few years, a group of teammates has also been constructing fleece blankets for patients at the Bronson Children’s Hospital on our Day of Caring. Prior to joining the Greenleaf team, the daughter of one of our newest teammates was the recipient of one of these blankets. The blanket became a special part of her recovery process. During his onboarding process, the new teammate watched a video on a past Day of Caring and to his astonishment saw his daughter’s blanket being made by another teammate. Needless to say that teammate joined the fleece blanket group this year and provided further inspiration for them all with this story.

At Greenleaf Trust, we believe that small actions multiplied by lots of people can equal a big change. We embrace this teamwork philosophy as we serve on behalf of our clients. I am proud to be part of a not-only-for-profit organization that makes a real difference: not only in the lives of our clients, but also the communities in which we live and work.