Whether helping with homework or giving career advice to high school students living in low-income communities, volunteers at Pathways are committed to ending the cycle of poverty through education. To celebrate this year’s National Volunteer Week, we asked Tracy from CIBC Mellon to tell us why volunteering with Pathways is so important to her. Here’s what she had to say.
Hello, my name is Tracy and I’m a Director of Employee Experience at CIBC Mellon and a passionate advocate of education accessibility and equity—hence my involvement as a volunteer with Pathways!
While education is a fundamental human right that everyone should have equal access to, sadly youth across Canada continue to face barriers on this front.
That’s why I have an immense amount of gratitude for organizations like Pathways to Education that create opportunities for the future of our communities. I strongly believe that participating in and promoting these programs and events drives impact. I’m also proud to work for CIBC Mellon, an organization that shows commitment through financial support and volunteer promotion among employees. CIBC Mellon has been partnering with Pathways for over 16 years now!
In fact, our corporate social responsibility program is where my involvement with Pathways to Education began.
One of my favourite days of the year is when we host high school students for Take Our Kids To Work Day events. Students from Pathways have the opportunity to learn about our company, interview some of our employees on their education and career journeys, and participate in team-building activities with other students.
I recently had the chance to take part in this activity once again. For me, the best part of the day was watching as the students put their heads together for the team activity to create a company mascot and marketing campaign to promote our organizations’ vision and values. I was so impressed by their creative ideas and how well they all presented!
Pathways is grateful for the ongoing involvement of CIBC Mellon and its engaged team members like Tracy. Every year, Pathways students get to learn about exciting new careers through this valuable partnership.
There are so many ways to volunteer, and keeping up with our stories is the perfect starting place.
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