Paving the Roads Between Communities

As one of the initial supporters of the West Virginia Business Volunteer Council, BrickStreet Insurance has been paving the path to success since late 2006 with its own employee volunteer program.

Volunteerism at BrickStreet gained momentum in the fall of 2006 after President and CEO Greg Burton initiated interest during the Governor’s Service Awards at the state volunteerism conference, Faces of Leadership.

“We have a lot of people that volunteer at BrickStreet and we’re very proud of that,” Burton said. “We think it’s very important to have our employees give back to the community. At the end of the day, it always makes BrickStreet employees better. It builds teamwork and helps with morale.”

A Successful Foundation

In its first year, BrickStreet built a foundation of community involvement through donations and supporting employee volunteerism. The company then established an employee volunteer program called Paving the Roads Between Communities. BrickStreet also collaborated with the West Virginia Commission for National & Community Service and began using the Commission's Internet clearinghouse VolunteerWV.org, where employees were encouraged to log their volunteer hours.  

BrickStreet employees who report their volunteer hours earn pins that mark the number of hours they volunteer. Along with certificates of appreciation for volunteer hours, BrickStreet gives $100 to any organization an employee chooses after the employee logs 100 hours of volunteer service.

Employees are also allowed two hours per month at a cap of 10 per year to read aloud to any school they choose.

Kristi Rhule, ombudsman for BrickStreet, estimates 30 to 40 percent of the company’s 500 employees participate in some sort of volunteerism program.

Success in 2007

In 2007, BrickStreet volunteers participated in a variety of events.

In March, employees took part in the March of Dimes Madness and raised more than $5,000 by participating in various events for three consecutive weeks. The events included Beanbags for Babies, Miles of Dimes and Blue Jeans for Babies – a program that raised nearly two thousand dollars.   

Approximately 50 employees from Charleston, Martinsburg and Wheeling also participated in the March of Dimes WalkAmerica race in April.  As a result, BrickStreet was named the “Top New Team” taking part in WalkAmerica 2007.

In May, approximately 45 BrickStreet employees supported the Susan G. Komen Foundation by participating in its annual Race for the Cure. The combination of employees’ individual race sponsorships and BrickStreet’s corporate contribution raised more than $12,000 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

In September, employees participated in the annual United Way Sunday Scoops event as part of the Charleston Sternwheel Regatta. In addition to this event, BrickStreet also coordinated an employee appreciation tailgate celebration where various competitions were staged to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald House. By the end of the day, employee donations and a corporate contribution equaled more than $10,000.

Looking Ahead

The above are only a handful of the volunteer actions taken by BrickStreet employees in 2007. Goals for 2008 include the coordination of service with local animal shelters and the continuation of volunteer activities that were successful in 2007.

Rhule credits the West Virginia Business Volunteer Council with opening BrickStreet’s eyes to the importance of logging volunteer hours online. Benefits of its employee volunteer program have also included internal and external networking.

“You wouldn’t believe the amount of people who have come up to me after a service event talking about how they got to know a colleague or a member of the community so much better,” she said. “Our program has really done wonders for our employees in terms of morale, networking and the feeling they get when they know they’ve positively contributed to their community.”

For more information on the employee volunteer program at BrickStreet, please contact Kristi Rhule at 1-866-45BRICK.