Trustmark Associates Make A Difference During Community Week

There was a palpable buzz and energy throughout Trustmark’s headquarters in Lake Forest, Illinois. The same was true for other places throughout the country where associates live and work.

From group activities to individual volunteer service and random acts of kindness, associates made the most of Trustmark’s fourth annual Community Week.

“We pride ourselves on our caring culture always, but never more so than during Community Week,” said Dan Mandarino, VP, Tax, who leads Trustmark Cares. “It’s fantastic to see the way our associates unite around volunteering and community service.”

All benefits-eligible associates receive a half-day of paid time off each year, and Community Week is a popular time to use those hours.

Group volunteering was back in vogue after being put on hold during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Popular organizations for group volunteer activities were Bernie’s Book Bank, Feed My Starving Children, VEAP and North Chicago Community Partners (NCCP).

Associates from Law and Compliance volunteered at Feed My Starving Children as part of Trustmark Cares Community Week. Associates throughout the country volunteered individually and in groups to enhance the communities where we live and work.
 

Four members of the Executive Leadership team and a group from the Finance, Strategy and Executive Teams spent an afternoon at Bernie’s boxing nearly 15,000 books. Bill Gould, who recently joined Trustmark as President and Chief Operating Officer, was an active participant.

“Trustmark’s caring culture was a key reason why I joined the enterprise and it was inspiring to live our culture by participating in this group volunteer event,” Gould said.

Dan Kraft, VP, Product and Innovation for Voluntary Benefits, organized a group of 20 associates to assemble beds for families in need. Starting with pre-cut wood, the group produced 21 beds in two hours.

“It was a tremendous experience to be back in the community again for such a good cause,” said Voluntary Benefits’ Pam Morini, Director, Agency. “It felt great to be together with colleagues and do something worthwhile.”

For NCCP, a group of volunteers from the HR Department visited North Chicago Community High School to help assemble food and goods for a Family Care Closet.

Associates from HR volunteered at North Chicago Community High School by helping to restock the Family Care Closet and assemble family cooking and baking kits. This volunteer opportunity was a result of Trustmark’s partnership with North Chicago Community Partners.
 

“Since the summer of 2020, Trustmark has provided hundreds of volunteers who have served nearly 600 hours ensuring students and families have the resources to thrive and achieve their highest potential,” said Brittany Costa, NCCP’s Senior Manager of Volunteer Recruitment and Stewardship. “We are honored that you chose to help us carry out our mission.”

Many associates volunteered individually or contributed random acts of kindness such as helping a neighbor, writing positive, uplifting notes or texts and treating the person next to them in line to coffee.

“Trustmark associates made this a week to remember,” Mandarino said.