INVESTED IN OUR COMMUNITIES – AND COUNTING.
Our employees donate more than 3,000 hours of their time to various local causes and events each year. We couldn’t be prouder of their efforts, and we take every opportunity we can to recognize them and reward them for it.
Employees also support a Denim Days program that lets them donate $5 to wear jeans on Fridays. Proceeds benefit a different not-for-profit each month, which totals over $40,000 a year! Voluntary payroll deductions add another $120,000 a year that benefits the United Way. Employee-led fundraisers like walks, craft or baked goods sales, and food drives have an impact of nearly $35,000.
Recent Impact
“I Heart My Match” NAFCU/PAC
Every year, Visions employees contribute to the NAFCU/PAC “I Heart My Match” program, which matches contributions for every dollar up to $170,000. Visions selects local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to receive the matched donated funds. In 2020, over $16,000 in PAC donations were raised, matched, and donated to Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital, NY and Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, PA.
Holiday Giving
We gave back in a new way during the 2020 holiday season! Visions employees participated in a Season of Giving, where we partnered with several organizations across our 3-state footprint for a unique giveback experience! Some of the nonprofits were even founded by employees! The Season of Giving partners included the American Red Cross, The Empowerment Zone, United Way, American Heart Association, NAFCU/PAC, Toys for Tots, and more!
American Cancer Society
Visions employees have supported the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk for over 20 years. This year, we partnered with The Cider Mill in Endicott, NY to have a Pink Doughnut Day, held virtual walks in NJ, NY, and PA, had a face mask and merchandise sale, and held a "Mini Strides" event for employees in our Headquarters parking lot. Visions raised over $12,000 by the end of the campaign.
2020 Day of Caring
Visions is committed to engaging and promoting volunteerism in all the communities we serve. On the annual Day of Caring 2020, some of our employees joined the volunteer efforts of the United Way in the beautiful outdoor garden of VINES – Volunteers Improving Neighborhood Environments, at the Tudor Street location in downtown Binghamton, NY. Volunteers graciously helped with weeding, mulching, and harvesting vegetables.
COVID-19 Lunch Donations
We are eternally grateful to the individuals that kept our communities healthy and safe during COVID-19. To show our support to health care workers and police departments throughout the counties that we serve in New Jersey, our Business Development team purchased meals as a way of saying thank you. Some of the organizations that received meals were St. Joseph’s Hospital and St. Mary’s General Hospital in Passaic, NJ; Brightview Senior Living Facility in Tenafly, NJ; and the police departments of Hackettstown, Mt. Olive, and Newton, NJ.
Broome County Humane Society
In an effort to give back to the community, our Consumer Lending department collected much needed donations for the Broome County Humane Society in New York. Mortgage Sales Manager, Brent Baker, volunteered to receive a pie in the face as a special “reward” for full team participation.
Corporate Giveback Challenge
Visions initiated a Corporate Giveback Challenge to collect food donations for local food banks to restock their supplies and help those in need. Collectively, employees donated a total of 6,940 items for food banks and charitable organizations across NY, NJ, and PA. As a result of 100% employee participation, Visions donated an additional $3,000 to the elected food banks.
Kindness Café
In partnership with our talented American Food and Vending chefs, Kindness Café is a community project designed to show appreciation amidst the COVID-19 pandemic to our local health care professionals by donating hot, freshly made meals. For every $5 contribution, 1 take-out meal would be donated. Visions employees raised $1,240 and donated 248 meals to medical professionals at UHS Hospital in Binghamton, NY.
Atlantic Health System’s Newton Medical Center
Visions employees Mary and Gloria paid it forward and shared their meals and goodie bags from a recent Newton Medical Center Foundation fundraiser with the Emergency Room Nurses at Atlantic Health System’s Newton Medical Center in New Jersey.
Friends Forever Animal Rescue
Our Syracuse and Cicero, NY offices saved their bottles and cans accrued during their time in quarantine to benefit Friends Forever Animal Rescue. After reopening in June, the collection amounted to 1,000 bottles and cans, equaling a $50 donation to the organization. The collection also included a personal donation from a generous Cicero local who overheard what our offices were doing and donated two bags of her own bottles and cans.
Shopping Cart Challenge
Our NY Contact Center employees stepped up to fight hunger in our communities with the ‘Food A Bag-o’ challenge in Binghamton, NY to benefit Broome County CHOW.
Food Collection Drive
Our Central Lending department initiated a food drive this past holiday season, collecting one type of food donation for each day of December. All items were donated to St. Anthony’s Food Pantry in Endicott, NY.
United Way of Tompkins County, Day of Action
Visions joined the volunteer efforts of the United Way of Tompkins County and the Center for Suicide Prevention and Crisis Service in Ithaca, NY, for Day of Action. Day of Action is an invitation for people and organizations around the world to put the United Way’s mission into action by volunteering to improve the building blocks for a good quality of life – education, financial stability, and health.
Association for Vision Rehabilitation and Employment
Visions employees raised $1,380 through our Denim Days program to the Association for Vision Rehabilitation and Employment (AVRE), a non-profit organization in Binghamton, NY that serves people who are blind or visually impaired.
Food Bank of the Southern Tier
Food insecurity impacts individuals throughout the communities we serve, and it’s a cause that our employees are passionate about. Through their donations alone, we raise over $3,000 to benefit the Food Bank of the Southern Tier every year.
ACHIEVE Bowling Tournament
Many of the events we sponsor come with tickets and additional benefits. As the title sponsor of Achieve’s “Pin Crushing” bowling tournament in Vestal, NY, our staff got to bowl for a fantastic cause – and meet Rowdy the Rumble Pony!
Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services
Our employees got to use some of their allotted “Volunteer Time Off” and help beautify the Ithaca, NY community, in partnership with INHS (Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services) during the annual Giving is Gorges day.
The American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is near and dear to our hearts. Our team in NJ is always pumped to participate in their annual “Heart Walk”.
