Heather Nawrocki, Angelica Muriella, and Sarah Heiger, members of our Schaumburg Digital Inside Sales Team, recently spent a day volunteering at WINGS Resale Store in Schaumburg, Illinois. Established in 1985, the mission of WINGS is to provide housing, integrated services, education and advocacy to end domestic violence. WINGS Resale Stores help provide income for the operations of their programs and allow clients to shop at no cost for furnishings, clothing, and other necessities to help them feel safe and secure in their new, independent, domestic violence-free lives.
Megan Goettsche, OPTIMA™ Inside Sales Manager, introduced her team to WINGS through a donation drive, which led them to want to help contribute even more to their important mission. We interviewed Heather, Angelica, and Sarah to learn more about their experience volunteering at WINGS.
During their volunteer experience, they helped sort through donations and separated items into clothing for women, men, and children, household items, shoes, blankets, baby clothing, and more. Heather says, “Even though we were there for hours, it still felt like we barely made a dent into the mountain of donations that were there. It’s a beautiful thing to see so many people donate to a good cause!”
When asked what they’d say to encourage other AMP employees to volunteer in their communities, Sarah said, “It should be a no brainer. It gives you something different to do for a day that really does have a positive impact for other people!” According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men will experience domestic abuse from an intimate partner in their lifetime, and on a typical day, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide. On her volunteer experience, Angelica said, “It’s an amazing feeling doing something outside of your comfort zone and helping those in need. Remember to stay humble and appreciative about what you do have in life.”
Heather said, “Volunteering at WINGS was such a humbling experience. It was incredible and heartwarming to see how many people actually donate things to them and how much work needs to be done to make it possible for the families in need to get these supplies. They say ‘it takes a village’ and WINGS has built an incredible village for our community. Without volunteers, these families would be struggling even more than they already are. So get out there and do anything you can to bring peace and positivity back into the world.”
Heather, Angelica, and Sarah all said that they’d be back to volunteer at WINGS again in the future.
If you’re an AMP Employee interested in volunteering in your community, Max Rasmussen, AMP’s HR Generalist, details how you can request VTO:
“AMP’s Volunteer Time Off (VTO) Program provides employees with at least 4 months of active employment the opportunity to dedicate up to 8 hours of AMP-paid working time annually (during standard business hours) to a charitable or non-profit organization serving disadvantaged individuals or nonpolitical civic causes in our communities. Employees using VTO will be paid at their normal pay rate for the VTO hours taken. To apply, please log onto the HR Portal the same way you request paid time off (PTO). Please be sure to provide your supervisor with reasonable notice and the charitable cause to both your supervisor and the HR department for approval. Once approved, you are all set to start making a difference in your community!”
If you’d like to learn more about WINGS and the important work they do in our community, visit their website at https://wingsprogram.com/.
