Q. How did being a 2020 Employee Giving Community Star help you reach your personal philanthropic goals?
A. Being a selected as a Community Star really helped me push a personal giving goal I had set at the beginning of 2020: To help raise over $12,000 for various charities that I love. I exceeded my goal, raising a little over $19,000! I am grateful for the Company’s Employee Giving program for its support and encouragement.
Q. Please tell us your experience with the Employee Giving program last year.
A. My experience last year was amazing! It felt great to not only share how I’ve impacted my local community, but to see others within the Company that I love do the same. (Learn more about Demario’s Employee Giving story and watch his video here.)
Q. Can you tell us about the nonprofit organizations you partnered with to reach your personal giving goal?
A. One of the organizations that is most meaningful to me is the Steve Smith Family Foundation dedicated not only to domestic violence prevention and awareness, but insurance for under/noninsured individuals. I started donating time, money and energy to this organization about six years ago because when I was a child my grandmother worked with individuals impacted by domestic violence and allowed for me to assist with volunteer hours.
Other organizations I support include:
- Give Kids The World - Providing amazing experiences to families impacted by life changing illnesses. I had the honor to spend the weekend with a family during the Village’s Night of a Million Lights holiday celebration. (see photo)
- Beds for Kids- A furniture bank in the Charlotte, NC area that provides furniture for families in need. (see photo)
- Connor’s Cure - Fighting pediatric cancer!
- Cornelia Freeman Cooper Endowment Fund - Helping underrepresented minorities and first-generation college students pursuing a degree in education at Middle Tennessee State University.
- Jeff Black Scholarship Fund – Assisting Marshall University students who are pursuing their degree.
Republic’s Employee Giving program is year-round. To learn more and start giving to your favorite causes today, click here.