For the sixth year in a row, Simmons Bank has implemented a company wide initiative to accumulate 7,000 community service hours in the month of September.

Effective at every location, Simmons Bank is encouraging and incentivizing its employees to volunteer their time and skills at a charity or non-profit of their choosing. The corporation is paying each employee for up to 8 hours of community service and allowing those hours to be served during regular business hours. Additionally, if any employee reaches 15 hours of volunteer time in September, Simmons Bank has vowed to donate $150 to a charity of their choice.

“This initiative speaks volumes about the company and where their focus is,” says White House Branch Manager Kate Key.

Excited by the idea of serving others, the employees at the White House branch of Simmons Bank decided they wanted to double their amount of volunteer hours per person. Only having five team members, this small branch is determined to make a big impact by participating in both individual volunteer opportunities and group opportunities.

The Simmons team recently finished up group a volunteer effort on September 18 at Temple Baptist Church.

“Kate mentioned that they wanted to do some volunteering at our BNI group,” recalled Sarah Ricciardi, member of Temple Baptist Church and wife to Jason Ricciardi, the church’s Minister of Students.

Sarah presented the idea for the Simmons team to come in and help organize the newly renovated Student Ministry building.

“The organization fell to the wayside because it wasn’t urgent,” said Sarah. “When I came up with the idea, I thought, ‘this might seem like too small of a thing.’ It’s behind the scenes, and it might not be big enough for them to do it. Yet Kate was very excited and said it was exactly what they were looking for.”

The group from Simmons spent the afternoon going through buckets of mismatched items, labeled them, organized them, and created an efficient system for them to be found and used. Simple yet effective.

“When they finished the project, Jason was in tears because it released all the stress off of his shoulders. He didn’t know what a big deal it was until it was done. Now the wheels of ministry can keep rolling, and the space can be more functional for the different groups that come in there,” said Sarah.

Throughout the rest of the month and even into October, the employees from the White House Simmons Bank branch will venture out on their own volunteer opportunities at various places like the White House library, Hope Center Ministries, Montgomery Bell State Park, Foster Families Assistance Network, and Jumbled Dreams.

“When I think about volunteering, I think about the people and the lives that can be impacted from simple acts of service. The knowledge of that impact is what makes volunteering such a rewarding experience,” says Kate.

Remember, small gestures can make big differences. If you have a volunteer opportunity available, Kate and her team would love to hear about it. They are always looking for ways to give back to the community. You can visit her at their branch at 117 Raymond Hirsch Pkwy, White House, or email her at Kate.key@simmonsbank.com.