“Good isn’t a thing you are, it’s a thing you do.” The new Disney+ Ms. Marvel show perfectly sums up how we feel about our community impact. More importantly, it reminds us that you don’t have to be a superhero to help others.
From packing shaving cream to spreading mulch, we know that sometimes even the smallest actions can make a difference. The first half of the year brought many opportunities for us to contribute to the places we live and work. What can we do to spread our superhero ‘powers’ in the second half of the year? We can’t wait to find out!
Here’s a recap of what our community of good has done in 2022:
Helped High Schoolers Build their Future
Took time to share information about workplace safety and insurance careers with high school students across the state through the Build My Future Programs in St. Charles and Springfield.
Saved Lives with a Blood Drive
In May, we hosted a blood drive in our office for The American Red Cross. We saw four first time donors and collected enough units to save a potential of 48 lives!
Prepared Dinner for Foster Parents
We kicked off Volunteer Month in April by making 25 meals for the more than 100 foster families in the Coyote Hill Foster Family Services Program.
Filled Cars for the St. Louis Area Food Bank
Employees saw food insecurity up close when they filled cars at a mobile food pantry site for the St. Louis Area Food Bank.
Spent the Day with Some Amazing Third Graders
MEM employees took the day to teach third grade classes at Hallsville Elementary how to earn, spend, save and donate through Junior Achievement’s curriculum. Each volunteer was paired up with a partner teacher and given lessons and activities to share in the classroom.
Went Green for Mental Health Awareness
Along with other partners doing the same, we lit up the MEM home office in green lights to spread awareness about the importance of good mental health..
Shared Career Experiences with Middle Schoolers
Four MEM employees made stops at our partner in education, Gentry Middle School, to share and field questions about their careers in information technology, human resources, underwriting and nursing.
Learned About Child Safety Charlie’s House
We made a visit to Charlie’s House in Kansas City to complete a service project for the organization. We enjoyed learning more about the mission of the nonprofit which is to keep families safe and prevent injuries in children.
Spruced Up a Section of Springfield
On a beautiful Spring morning, Springfield employees met at the Fassnight Park trailhead for a few hours to clean up a section of the greenway. The City of Springfield allows groups to choose their own trail cleanup location and provides bags and pickup of the trash at project completion.
“Our family uses the greenway trails a lot, they are a great resource for the public in the Springfield area. And it was a beautiful day, why not be out in it!”
-Tina Austin, Premium Consultation
Met Basic Hygiene Needs
Employees in Columbia continued our celebration of Volunteer Month in April by assembling 100 hygiene kits for two different organizations serving the homeless in Mid Missouri. We finished our project by writing a note in each kit.
Mulched for Boys and Girls Club
Teams from information technology and human resources divided and conquered to spread a new layer of mulch on the playground at Boys and Girls Clubs of Columbia. MEM donated the mulch.
Landscaped at Welcome Home
Our medical services team gathered from around the state and beyond for a department meeting and took some time away to volunteer at Welcome Home, serving the needs of local veterans. The team spread weed barriers in landscaping beds and helped serve lunch that day. A few weeks later, a team from information technology also came to finish the job with a round of mulch.
Stocked and Stacked at the Central Pantry
Members of the information technology department helped customers fill orders, stocked shelves and cleaned for a few hours at the Central Pantry for Boone County. The pantry serves an estimated 10,000 people per month. MEM also held a Central Pantry Match campaign in 2021 that helped raise more than $80,000 for the pantry’s new site.