At Kindred, our shared purpose and values make us who we are! They also deeply resonate with our team members, even on their own time. Kindred offers team members one paid day per year to devote to volunteer service in their community, when the activity falls during regular business hours. In 2024, 62 folks took advantage of this benefit. Here are some of their stories:
Two team members have volunteered together with Ontario Christian Gleaner’s in Cambridge. They helped with assembling, filling, and sealing bags of soup mix. They both found that Ontario Christian Gleaner’s mission of using surplus produce to feed a hungry world really aligned with their personal values.
Stephanie Szusz (Vice-President, Agricultural and Commercial Banking) spent her day at the Wilmot Agricultural Society’s Education Day. This day takes place the week after the New Hamburg Fall Fair, when every grade 4 student in the township visits a local dairy farm to learn about and experience agriculture up close and personal. The children rotate through different stations learning about dairy and maple syrup among other things. Stephanie is passionate about agriculture and community, and being a part of this event brings those two passions together.
Another team member attended a teacher conference and spoke to teachers about how to help children going through grief in the classroom setting. Drawing on his expertise, he was pleased to support schools in his community.
Joel Dubrick (Senior Internal Auditor) used his volunteer day as the Treasurer of his condo board. He travelled to our Aylmer branch to transfer the board’s accounts and investments from another financial institution to Kindred, and also worked to finalize their financial documents to provide to an external auditor. Joel feels it’s important to give back to the community, and he is pleased to use his financial knowledge to support his neighbours.
Lydia Petrita (Marketing Specialist) volunteered with a local community centre to prepare and serve hot meals for vulnerable members in her community. In fact, Lydia spread her paid volunteer hours over 2 separate occasions, allowing her to serve her community more than once. She felt that this was a truly humbling and impactful experience and she is grateful for the opportunity.
In honour of Volunteer Week 2025, we thank all those Kindred team members who go above and beyond to serve their communities. Whether they use their volunteer day or it is part of their ongoing commitments, we know that Kindred team members are making a difference in their communities. It’s clear from these stories that there are a wide variety of ways to do this. We hope that by sharing these stories, that you will be inspired to consider how you can use the gift of your time to build a better world.