Published 07-11-24
Submitted by KeyBank
This article was previously published on MaineBiz.com
By: Tony DiSotto, KeyBank Maine Market President
Recently, 140 KeyBank Maine teammates and I completed 18 community projects and 564 community service hours in a single afternoon. KeyBank’s annual Neighbors Make The Difference Day started in Key’s Alaska market in 1991 and was quickly embraced by the Maine market. I personally have participated in the effort in each of my eighteen years with Key. This day of volunteerism has been a cornerstone of our business and culture for decades and is just one of the ways our bank supports the communities where we live and work.
Why is employee volunteerism important?
The textbook answer includes increased employee engagement, talent development, teambuilding, and an enhanced corporate reputation. But a truly impactful employee volunteer program accomplishes so much more – it says to employees and other stakeholders that the health and wellbeing of the communities where we do business is vital, a priority, and our collective responsibility. Employees giving of themselves that truly builds community commitment within a company. This is the foundation that KeyBank is built upon.
What makes a successful employee volunteer program?
I can point to several elements in our Neighbors Day program that have contributed to its success and longevity:
A well-implemented and supported employee volunteer program is just one element of a comprehensive corporate community support strategy, and one of the many ways that KeyBank supports the Maine market. In 2023, KeyBank and KeyBank Foundation provided $28.7 million in community investments in affordable housing, community development, LMI small business and mortgage lending, and philanthropy in the state.
Key Private Bank is the marketing name through which KeyBank National Association (KeyBank) provides a range of financial products and solutions. KeyBank, Member FDIC.
About KeyBank’s 2024 Neighbors Make the Difference Day
Neighbors Make The Difference Day of community service was held Thursday, June 6, 2024, with more than 4,200 KeyBank employees across the nation completing 559 community projects and 17,000 service hours in one afternoon. In Maine, 141 employees completed 18 projects for the following nonprofit organizations: Hirundo Wildlife Trust, Alton; Bread of Life, Augusta; Bridgton Historical Society; Birdsacre Sanctuary, Ellsworth; Fort Kent Public Library; Ark Animal Sanctuary, Houlton; Greater Androscoggin Humane Society, Lewiston; Travis Mill Foundation, Mt. Vernon; Oxford School Age Child Care; McAuley Residence, Portland; Maine Needs, Portland; Homeless Services of Aroostook, Presque Isle; The Ecology School at River Bend Farm, Saco; Spirits Place, Saint Albans; PL Services STRIVE, South Portland; The Come Spring Food Pantry, Union; Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals, Windham; Yarmouth Community Services.
About the author:
Tony DiSotto serves as KeyBank Market President and Key Private Bank Market Leader in Maine and Vermont. He can be reached at KeyBank’s Portland office at (207) 874-7102 and Anthony_disotto@keybank.com.
KeyCorp's roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $187 billion at June 30, 2024.
Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,200 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank Member FDIC.
More from KeyBank