National Volunteer Week is April 16 – 22, 2023
Finding ways to give back and make a difference in your community is an empowering act. At MCAP, we’re committed to putting people and local communities first and encourage our employees to join in and support however they can throughout the year. To help make this goal a reality, we created MCAP’s Community and Social Engagement (C.A.S.E.) Crew, a fun and inclusive way to get employees involved in various community initiatives and raise funds to support worthy causes.
To celebrate National Volunteer Week, we spoke with Facilities Manager, Zach Deadman, who co-chairs the C.A.S.E. Crew along side Dennis Esteves, Senior Manager, about the program and how we’re able to make a positive change.
Zach, can you tell us about the C.A.S.E. Crew at MCAP?
The C.A.S.E. Crew has been around since 2018. This will be its fifth year operating! The intent of the C.A.S.E. Crew is to provide staff with social activities, outreach, engagement, and community givebacks.
What are the main objectives and goals of the C.A.S.E. Crew?
Our goal is to ensure staff, both in office and virtually, have fun and informative opportunities to engage with one another, the community, and the company. Finding balance is key so we try to include fun activities as well as community givebacks and outreach. We have also worked to incorporate an educational component and hope to bring awareness and new ways to participate in the community beyond what we may be working on now.
How big has the C.A.S.E. Crew grown since it was first created?
The Crew started off as a couple of volunteers and then expanded to around 10. This year, we have 16 members, including myself and Dennis who are co-chairs of the program. The expansion comes with the Crew’s shift to a more national presence as we have volunteers at nearly every location.
How would you describe the volunteers in the C.A.S.E. Crew?
The volunteers are fun, they are kind, and they are conscientious. We have a larger group and so we pull together a lot of different ideas, perspectives, and insights. Our main focus is on engagement, both internally and externally, and our volunteers embody that as we work together to plan out activities. There are a lot of creative people on our team, and a variety of skill sets into which we can tap.
What are some volunteer events put together by the C.A.S.E. Crew?
The C.A.S.E. Crew have put on all kinds of volunteer events during its run at MCAP. Recently, we ran a 50/50 draw with the funds going towards the purchase of in-demand donation items to assist with the Türkiye-Syria earthquake relief. We raised a grand total of $1,820, with half going towards tents and sleeping bags to be donated.
The C.A.S.E. Crew has also facilitated other events, such as the Toy Mountain toy drive. Staff brought in toys, and they were delivered to the Salvation Army. Another successful event was the Stockings for Seniors where stockings were filled with little gifts, goodies, and needed items/essentials, then donated to a local retirement home for those without family during the holidays. That was run over the last two years and has garnered a lot of support and attention.
How do you and the other members of the C.A.S.E. Crew stay motivated?
What motivates the C.A.S.E. Crew to keep going is a desire to give back and get involved. A lot of members expressed their interest in being able to participate in the Crew as a way to facilitate employee engagement and facilitate those opportunities to be involved with the communities around us. So, it is this drive to get involved that keeps us going.
For more information on how MCAP gives back to the communities where we work, you can visit our charitable initiatives.
