VENTURA, Calif.— Ventura County Credit Union said its employees volunteered a total of 810 hours through its annual CommUNITY Giving program in 2015. Starting its fifth year, the program encourages VCCU employees to donate their time to local nonprofits by compensating them for up to 40 hours of service per year.
“We started out 2015 with the goal of achieving 352 hours, which is rougly two hours per employee, and our staff clearly went above and beyond what we had set out for,” said Natalie Yanez, director of community partnerships at VCCU. “As a community-oriented organization, we pride ourselves on putting our members, and the places they live, first, and this is just one way we are able to make that value a reality.”
Some of the organizations that individual VCCU employees volunteered for include FOOD Share, Schools on Wheels, Interface Children & Family Services and the Ventura County Museum, along with various animal-related organizations, YMCAs and more. According to Yanez, the 810 volunteer hours are valued at approximately $25,000 of in-kind community service.
“Going out in our community and helping others is such a rewarding experience. It demonstrates what really matters to VCCU — people.” said Rachel Bravo, VCCU employee and volunteer. “I’m proud to work for a company that stands behind its values in such a tangible way.”
In addition to these physical labors of love, VCCU also contributed a monetary amount of more than $120,000 to nonprofit organizations in 2015, in the form of direct donations and charity sponsorships. With the start of the New Year, VCCU has set a company-wide goal to exceed last year’s volunteer hours in 2016.