Advia Credit Union staff donate over 600 toys and volunteer 300 Hours to salvation army

Employees work at six Salvation Army sites to provide a better holiday for families in need

PARCHMENT, MI (December 23, 2015) — It’s a busy time of year for Advia Credit Union staff. In addition to their job responsibilities, they have delivered over 600 toys to six Salvation Army sites – toys that were donated by members and employees through Angel Trees located in the lobbies of Advia’s 24 branches in Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois. And over 60 Advia staff have volunteered over 300 hours at Salvation Army Toy Towns, bagging toys, stocking toys and helping parents choose just the right bike, game, doll or Star Wars Lego’s set.

“We have been helping out at the Salvation Army for the past week or so,” says Kristi Heacock, an Advia teller. “I just like giving back.”

Breanne Miller, a member services specialist, agrees. “It’s such an amazing cause,” she says. “You can give a family Christmas.”

This year Advia introduced a new Staff ACTION (Advancing Community Ties In Our Neighborhoods) Volunteer program which encourages its employees to take paid time off from work to volunteer at charities of their choosing. The credit union is committing 8,500 paid hours for its full and part time staff to support community organizations per year.

The new Volunteer program has been embraced by Advia employees. “I like spending time with co-workers to benefit the community. It speaks to one of our core values of building and strengthening relationships,” says Joli Hensley, an Advia marketing administrator. “At Advia we have a tradition of giving back to our community. Everyone benefits!”