Symetra volunteers help five Bellevue organizations
Published 4:13 pm Thursday, August 14, 2014
Nearly 500 Symetra employees mobilized around the Puget Sound region — and across the country — in support of local communities during the sixth-annual “Symetra Week of Service,” held July 7-11.
Locally, five Bellevue organizations benefited from Symetra volunteer crews. Collectively, 41 employees contributed 139 hours of manpower — helping organize a field day for preschoolers at the Bellevue Family YMCA, paint a room used by families at Kindering, clean and organize shelter space at Sophia’s Place, sort donations and stock shelves at Hopelink food bank and spread bark on dog-walking trails for the Seattle Humane Society in Bellevue.
“Giving back to the communities in which we live and work is part of the fabric of Symetra and a core value our employees have wholeheartedly embraced,” said Tom Marra, Symetra president and CEO. “Like our springtime I CARE Employee Giving campaign, which shattered records this year with an 85 percent participation rate, the Week of Service is a much-anticipated annual tradition. It gives us a chance to connect with our colleagues, join forces to help our nonprofit partners who do so much good and make a positive impact in our communities through hands-on service.”
Symetra Week of Service began in 2009 with 130 employees in the company’s Bellevue headquarters volunteering at seven area projects. Since the program’s inception, Symetra employees have contributed nearly 8,300 Week of Service hours.
Symetra volunteers painting at Kindering during annual Week of Service. COURTESY PHOTO
