BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--This week, July 7–11, nearly 500 Symetra employees will roll up their sleeves and tackle volunteer projects throughout the Puget Sound region and across the country for the sixth-annual Symetra Week of Service. Employees will take time from their work day to volunteer on behalf of 34 nonprofit organizations — 23 in the Greater Seattle area. Symetra employee volunteers have contributed nearly 6,400 Week of Service hours since the program’s inception in 2009.
“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.”
Here are the 2014 Symetra Week of Service nonprofit partners and activities in the Puget Sound area:
American Heart Association of Puget Sound
Volunteers will make handmade cards and finger puppets for kids undergoing cardiac treatment at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
American Red Cross Serving King & Kitsap Counties
Volunteers will assemble workplace preparedness kits.
Atlantic Street Center
Volunteers will be a tutor or classroom assistant for ASC’s Summer Academy or chaperone a field trip.
Bellevue Family YMCA
Volunteers will organize and facilitate a field day for preschoolers.
City of Kirkland
Volunteers will mark messages on storm drains to remind residents that chemicals should not be poured into drains and help with maintenance and cleanup at Juanita Beach Park.
Forterra
Volunteers will remove blackberry bushes and other invasive plants and sheet mulch along the Duwamish River.
Green Kirkland Partnership
Volunteers will remove invasive blackberry bushes, mulch and weed at Cotton Hill Park and Juanita Bay Park.
Green Plate Special
Volunteers will harvest vegetables, weed, plant and prepare the gardens for chickens for the cooking and food-growing program.
Hopelink
Volunteers will sort donations, stock shelves and help clean at the food bank’s Bellevue, Carnation, Kirkland/Northshore and Shoreline locations.
Imagine Children's Museum
Volunteers will help clean and paint the interior of the Everett museum.
Kindering
Volunteers will prepare graduation invitations and paint a room used by families and therapists at the Bellevue location.
King County Parks
Volunteers will paint Wayne’s Tunnel on the Burke-Gilman trail in Bothell, help control bike traffic and perform trail maintenance. In Renton, volunteers will weed, remove landscape fabric and mulch the Cavanaugh Pond Natural Area.
Kirkland Senior Center
Volunteers will clean the Center’s kitchen.
Northwest Harvest
Volunteers will sort and re-package bulk food at the Kent location for distribution to food banks and schools.
PAWS
Volunteers will weed, cut the grass and pressure-wash the Lynnwood shelter’s meeting area.
Ronald McDonald House of Western Washington & Alaska
Volunteers will clean, organize and do yardwork at this facility for families with children being treated at Seattle Children's Hospital.
Seattle Humane Society
Volunteers will spread bark on the dogs' walking trails at the Bellevue facility.
Senior Services
Volunteers will organize, clean and paint the Central Area Senior Center.
Sophia Way
Volunteers will clean, organize and sort donations at the Bellevue women’s shelter.
Summit Assistance Dogs
Volunteers will help train and groom adult dogs and puppies as well as prepare outreach material.
Westside Baby
Volunteers will sort clothing donations, package diapers and check for toy recalls at the Seattle location.
Outside of the Puget Sound area, Symetra employees in Ashland, Wis., Enfield, Conn., Miami, Fla., Norcross, Ga., and Waltham, Mass., will participate in volunteer activities on behalf of 11 nonprofits:
- Ashland—The Brick Ministries, Ashland Parks and Recreation and Vaughn Public Library
- Enfield—Enfield Food Shelf and Lunch Bunch, Elizabeth Park Conservancy and My Sister’s Place.
- Miami—Kristi House
- Norcross—Camp Promise and Project Open Hand
- Waltham—Waltham Boys & Girls Club
Follow Symetra’s Week of Service activities on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Symetra. To learn more about the company’s community programs, visit www.symetra.com/community.
About Symetra
Symetra Financial Corporation (NYSE: SYA) is a diversified financial services company based in Bellevue, Wash. In business since 1957, Symetra provides employee benefits, annuities and life insurance through a national network of benefit consultants, financial institutions, and independent agents and advisors. For more information, visit www.symetra.com.
Symetra® is a registered service mark of Symetra Life Insurance Company.
