Regional Teams Formed to Assist in Local Support

By Karen Dobson, Office Manager, Helping Hand Up Committee Member

The Helping Hand Up Committee, which guides charitable giving and volunteerism across the Myers footprint, started in 2021 with the goal of increasing employee participation. The effort was a resounding success: 178 employees participated – a 63% increase from 2020.

As a result, the committee wanted more people to review support opportunities, coordinate the response, and communicate the success stories. They decided to create a more robust management structure by forming three regional teams: Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Delaware-Maryland (dubbed DelMar). A call went out for team members and more than 20 employees immediately answered it. The regional teams started meeting monthly. The Helping Hand Up Committee continues to set policies and eligibility requirements for non-profit organizations.

63 organizations benefit
Helping Hand Up encourages employees to nominate non-profits with which they are involved as a volunteer or donor. If the non-profit qualifies, fellow employees are invited to volunteer or donate through the UpTo app. In 2021, 63 non-profits received donations.

The first Allan Myers Giving Tuesday Matching Contribution campaign distributed nearly $20,000 among 31 charitable organizations. Myers matched the nearly $10,000 employees donated to non-profits that included the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children), Domestic Violence Center, Wounded Warriors, and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

Among the other Helping Hand Up projects in 2021 were:

• Leukemia-Lymphoma Society – A virtual fundraiser was headed up by employee Mike Anderson’s twin granddaughters. Lucy and Maty. Helping Hand Up arranged for their campaign of daily posts and videos to be shared via the UpTo app. Because the fundraisers were twins, Myers double-matched the $1,845 donated by employees.
• National Multiple Sclerosis Society – Team Allan Myers once again participated in the annual Bike MS City to Shore. The team surpassed its $5,000 goal, raising $6,240. Myers matched the amount raised to double the donation.
• John Paul II Center for Special Learning – PA Superintendent Brett Berkhammer nominated the center and helped coordinate Helping Hand Up’s $1,000 sponsorship of its annual gala to benefit youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Helping Our Neighbors Holiday Giving – A virtual campaign using an online platform opened this opportunity to all Myers employees. More than $6,000 was donated to non-profits that are helping our neighbors in the areas of food insecurity, serving and supporting children, and empowering veterans to live with dignity and independence.

In all, $279,346 was donated in 2021. The regional teams are continuing to build relationships with worthy organizations that help others step up in their lives.