Learn more three area companies who go above and beyond to serve our community.

As we prepare for Time for Art: A Celebration of Volunteers, we want to highlight the finalists for our 2021 Volunteer Awards. These individuals and groups have gone above and beyond to serve their communities over the last year. Be sure to register for Time for Art to see which finalists will be announced as winners!

The Civic Business Volunteer Award honors a community-minded business that demonstrates sustainable and transformational volunteer efforts to create a culture of community engagement. Thanks to your votes, the following individuals were selected as finalists in this category:

Name: Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust

Organization: Numerous throughout the community

Growing from 4 founders to nearly 175 employees, volunteerism has been heavily encouraged and supported at Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust. CRBT staff have served at numerous organizations throughout the area, and CRBT leadership has served on a multitude of nonprofit boards. Despite COVID-19 and the derecho, employees averaged nearly 30 volunteer hours this year. Employees understand that volunteering is valued by the organization, and opportunities are presented for them to participate.

In 2019, a CRBT Community Engagement Team was formed with employees to drive engagement and help connect employees with volunteer opportunities. In January 2020, a calendar was rolled out where several months were dedicated to featuring area nonprofits who are also bank partners. Despite revamping the calendar several times due to the pandemic, virtual sessions were still held and employees still donated to the causes. Having a Community Engagement Team is now a permanent part of CRBT to ensure long term, strategic community success.

CRBT employees gave 4,650 hours to the community within the 2020 calendar year.

Name: Coe College

Organization: His Hands Free Clinic

Since 2016, Coe College students have helped His Hands Free Clinic with event planning, publication design, and administrative and reception tasks. Their students have helped to provide consistent volunteer staff for the clinic, with their hours estimated to be 20 hours on a weekly basis. Coe College helped HHFC to create a new fundraising event, which resulted in $20,000 in its first year. Today, that fundraising event raises a minimum of $100,000. Having this stable income has made a huge impact on the clinic’s sustainability, as well as ability to serve more individuals in need.

Coe has extended invitations to HHFC to participate in events and organizations such as AmeriCorps, Taste of Cedar Rapids, and other campus events where they are able to share the clinic, mission, and volunteer opportunities with students. This has brough long-term volunteers to the clinic, as one volunteer served for 4 years, became a trainer for new volunteers, and now helps to recruit additional volunteers for the clinic.

Name: New York Life Insurance Company—Cedar Rapids Office

Organization: YPN

Led by Lindsay Handy and Leah Plotz, New York Life has become a valuable and committed volunteer groups at YPN. Since their first meeting with the nonprofit, the group has not only shown up to donate and serve, but has also used their connections in-person and online to help others get to know the organization and recruit additional volunteers. On more than one occasion, New York Life has donated and packaged diapers for the Eastern Iowa Diaper Bank and has helped them keep up with their demand, especially during the pandemic. New York Life contributed over $1,540 in manpower last year, which has helped with capacity for YPN and has shown the community firsthand that volunteerism and community engagement are an important part of the work the company does on a daily basis, not just part of a corporate ideal on their website.

New York Life served over 64 hours within the 2020 calendar year.