Edward Jones employees recently volunteered at United Way partner agency, Wesley House Association. They participated in revitalizing the facility’s playground by painting and performing the proper maintenance to make the playground safe and enjoyable for kids.
Wesley House is a social service agency serving youth, adults and seniors in a neighborhood primarily populated by low-income, at-risk residents. They serve youth as young as 6-years-old and the revitalization of their playground will help them give local children a safe space after school, and Wesley House is very appreciative for Edward Jones’ support.
“The refurbishing of the playground that they’re doing today is one of the many steps that we’re taking to renew ourselves and be a resource for our region’s youth,” said John Saunders, Executive Director of Wesley House. “Wesley House is known as the No.1 house on the block, and one of the ways you keep that is by maintaining the exterior just as much as your interior. These Edward Jones volunteers coming out is impactful because people driving by can see there are people here volunteering for the betterment of our community.”
United Way corporate partner, Edward Jones is a leading financial services firm in the U.S. and through its affiliates in Canada. Headquartered in St. Louis, the firm’s focus on philanthropy was on full display at this volunteer event. Edward Jones associate, Amy Kula, said it is important to give back and serve the community.
“Volunteering through Edward Jones and in connection with United Way provides opportunities for associates to get out into the community and see what the needs are and in doing that we get introduced to different organizations like Wesley House,” said Amy. “We learn more about their mission, how they operate, what needs to be done and how we can help.”
United Way connects people with causes close to their hearts and inspires them to roll up their sleeves and give back to the community. Last year, 30 companies engaged in United Way’s Volunteer Center’s services. Employees from those companies participated in 101 coordinated projects. Moreover, last year we saw over 160,000 volunteer hours logged, equating to over $4 million invested into the community.
These incredible impact statistics are possible in part because of our generous local corporations’ willingness to help United Way and our nonprofit partner agencies build stronger and more equitable communities where everyone can thrive.
Take action now:
- Learn more about how important our corporate partners are to the stability of United Way and our safety net agencies.
- Sign up for a volunteer event using our Volunteer Center.
- Share this story with family and friends.
