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Koch Eye Associates employees spend work day caring for community

Koch Eye Associates’ employees don’t typically spend their work days painting or picking up trash, but July 29 was no ordinary day at the office. That’s because July 29 marked the company’s 6th annual Koch Eye Cares Day, a community celebration that matched 126 Koch employees with non-profit organizations across the state for a day of volunteer service.

Employees met early in the morning for breakfast, and then set out to lend a hand at 19 Rhode Island non-profits. Activities included painting projects (Boys & Girls Club, Ronald McDonald House, Save the Bay); working on farms (Smith & Agli’s Potbelly Manor, Angels on Horseback); serving meals at Amos House; crafting projects (Impossible Dream, Capital Region RSVP; client services (Dora C. Howard Centre, Pilgrim Senior Center); and outdoor projects (Yachting Museum, Warwick Historic Cemetery).

Koch Eye Cares Day is just one example of a successful employee volunteer program. An Employee Volunteer Program, or EVP, is an opportunity for employees to give back to their community, often on paid time. The Volunteer Center of R.I. is responsible for planning Koch Eye Cares Day each year, and also helps dozens of other companies across the state establish their own EVPs. The Volunteer Center of R.I. is the only local resource of its kind able to connect companies to volunteer opportunities.

“Rhode Island’s workforce is very talented, and when companies engage them in volunteer service with local nonprofits, exciting things can happen,” said Janice Pothier Pac, executive director of the Volunteer Center of R.I. “It’s a prime example of a ‘win-win’ relationship – the companies benefit and so do our communities.”

Interested in starting an employee volunteer program at your company? The Volunteer Center of R.I. can help make it happen. To learn how, or for more information on the benefits of businesses who engage their staff in service of this kind, contact VCRI directly by calling (401) 421-6547 or visit www.vcri.org. It’s never too late for your company to expand its ability to Give Back, Get More and Get Connected to the community.