WRMA cares about our clients and the vulnerable populations they serve. By placing strong emphasis on empowering our staff to be successful in their daily work, we help enable the adults, children, families, and clients that we serve to thrive.
At the heart of everything we do is a sharp focus on solutions that create better futures for those we serve. Staff are encouraged to be creative, thoughtful, and innovative in their service delivery to our federal, state, and other clients. Going the extra mile is what we do.
WRMA staff are encouraged to create new projects that aim to make a difference for the adults, children, and families that we serve. Employees can pitch their own project idea for the company to champion or support a local community by giving back as a part of the WRMA CARES initiative. Explore WRMA CARES highlights below.
Supporting causes that WRMA employees care about across the nation
Our corporate social responsibility initiative, WRMA CARES, focuses on the values of community, the environment, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA).
WRMA CARES provides various opportunities for staff to give back to their communities across the nation. Our cornerstone initiatives are the Charitable Match Program and the Ambassador Program. These programs provide opportunities for employees to double their financial support of and engage in service-oriented activities with 501(c)(3) organizations. This includes matching employees’ donations to any of hundreds of charities and providing paid time off to spend a workday volunteering for causes that are important to them.
WRMA CARES offers a yearly charitable match amount for employees’ eligible donations.
Since its inception in 2022, WRMA CARES Charitable Match Program has supported 27 organizations. Staff match requests were made to a broad spectrum of nonprofits, including but not limited to foundations and organizations supporting literacy, the arts, animal welfare, the environment, early childhood, children, families, veterans, and cancer research and treatments.
WRMA CARES encourages employees to spend one eight-hour workday every six months volunteering for causes that are important to them.
The Ambassador Program is not only an opportunity for staff to help improve their communities but also reflects WRMA’s commitment to making the world a better place, one step at a time. Since 2022, WRMA CARES Ambassadors have provided 128 hours of volunteer service. Staff members have volunteered their time for a wide variety of causes and activities. Explore their stories in the drop downs.
AAUW Preschool (Waukegan, IL)
WRMA staffer Kara Lehnhardt spent her WRMA CARES Ambassador day volunteering for AAUW Preschool. AAUW Preschool is a nationally accredited, parent cooperative preschool that has been serving a diverse group of children and their families in northern Lake County, Illinois, for nearly 70 years. As a nonprofit, the school relies on grants to support several of its key initiatives.
During her WRMA CARES Ambassador day, Kara used her writing and messaging skills to help author two grants on behalf of the school. The first grant would support the school’s trauma-informed curriculum by adding an outdoor dramatic play area and associated materials, and providing staff with professional development around the topic. The second grant would support much-needed facility improvements and improve the school’s accessibility.
Kara shared that the school’s director was so grateful to WRMA for the donated time and support. Like most early childhood directors, her time is stretched so thin between her administrative role and the needs of the children and families. Grant writing is a necessary part of her job but the reality is that there is so little time to do so. WRMA was happy to provide Kara to lend a hand.
Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona (Phoenix, AZ)
The vision of the Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona (BIA AZ) is “A world where all individuals impacted by brain injury thrive in their community.” As member of the brain injury community, WRMA staffer Jennifer Kirchen and her family volunteered at the annual BIA AZ Rays of Hope conference, which is a conference for survivors of brain injury presented by survivors of brain injury.
As a family they have made educating the public about stroke and brain injury a priority since it touched their family in 2010. Jennifer sat on the Rays of Hope conference planning committee and presented three sessions with one session even being with her two adult daughters. The BIA AZ Executive Director reported very positive feedback regarding the session evaluations and would like to make the panel session into a keynote session next year to reach a larger audience.
Jennifer will continue to volunteer at BIA AZ in the future and is already having discussions about doing a lunch and learn training for them in one of the coming months. Jennifer is grateful WRMA has the Ambassador Program so that employees can give back to their communities by volunteering with a cause of their choice that is important to them.
CASA of St. Joseph County Indiana (South Bend, IN)
Suzanne West has spent her career working to impact the lives of young children. For many of those years, she has talked about becoming a volunteer for CASA, or a Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children. Being a parent and advocating for her children’s medical, educational, and social needs provided them with the resources they needed to thrive and grow into the wonderful young adults they are today. Suzanne believes every child deserves to have that same support, someone who will advocate for them and provide them with a voice. CASA provides the opportunity to legally be a voice for a child in the foster care system who has been a victim of abuse or neglect.
After Suzanne lost her mother late last year, she decided she had the time and energy to fully commit to working as a CASA volunteer. As part of her training, she observed court proceedings where CASA’s appear to be a child’s voice and advocate for their needs.
“I observed approximately 7 case proceedings and while some were difficult to hear, others warmed your heart,” Suzanne said. “I cannot share specifics about any case, but I can say the CASA’s who spoke on behalf of the child provided valuable information to the court. This information gave the judge very specific details to consider before making decisions which could change their lives. Three cases had very positive outcomes. It was nice seeing a child get a chance for a better life because of the efforts of many adults working so hard to improve their situation. I realize every case won’t have a happy ending; however, I also recognize the time you spend doing this work will never be wasted time.”
Girls on the Run (Enola, PA)
Staff member Leigh Ann Bryan spent an Ambassador Day clipping together sets of 4 safety pins. A tedious and finger-aching task for sure, but well worth the effort! Over 10,000 safety pins went through her fingers to prep for the Girls on the Run spring 5K event. The pins were used to fasten the race bibs onto the runners. On race day, Leigh Ann helped check-in the volunteers that make the event a celebration and success! She was also honored to congratulate and hand out medals to the racers as they crossed the finish line.
“It was a day with all the feels!” Leigh Ann said. “While a mom of two teenage boys, I chose to give back-in a way that inspires girls of all abilities to build confidence, have meaningful connections with others, and feel comfortable and empowered by their choices. Thanks so much for the opportunity to participate in this program. I’m already looking forward to the fall 5K event!”
Ice Age National Scenic Trail (Cross Plains, WI)
WRMA staff member Heidi Freymiller spent a day restoring habitat along a segment of the Ice Age Trail in southern Wisconsin. The Ice Age National Scenic Trail is a 1,150-mile footpath that highlights the unique landscapes left behind by melting glaciers; the trail is entirely within the state of Wisconsin.
Heidi worked with about 12-15 people to clear brush piles into larger, well-stacked burn piles, trekking brush up and down a pretty steep hill. It was a tiring but rewarding day! At a future trail building event, the larger invasive brush and non-native trees will be cleared, and the Ice Age Trail Alliance will use burning techniques to further clear the hillside and restore the woodland.
Myriad Botanical Gardens Pumpkinville (Oklahoma City, OK)
Staff members Kristi Simpson and Lesli Blazer volunteered as WRMA CARES Ambassadors at the Myriad Botanical Gardens Pumpkinville fall festival in Oklahoma City, OK. This is an annual two-week event with plenty to offer both children and adults. This year’s theme was Witches & Wizards, and the grounds were decorated with creative displays of pumpkins, gourds, haystacks, and mums.
As members of WRMA’s OCC Monitoring Project team, Kristi and Lesli have strong backgrounds and interests in early childhood, so volunteering at Pumpkinville was a perfect fit. The festival had a variety of activities for kids, such as free crafts, face painting, pumpkin painting, story time, a carousel, and games. Kristi was assigned to oversee the magic wand play area, and Lesli was assigned the bean bag toss game. More than 2,000 people attend Pumpkinville daily, so Kristi and Lesli were busy!
Of the Ambassador day, Kristi and Lesli wrote, “One of the best experiences was getting to play with a group of children (and parents) from Hearts for Hearing. This is an organization that provides children with an opportunity every three months to meet, socialize, and have fun with other children with hearing loss. It was such an inspiring day and fulfilling experience, and we are so thankful to work for a company that values, encourages, and supports community involvement.”
Rosemary Beach Foundation Music In Pictures Initiative (Walton County, FL)
Staff member Alisa Ghazvini volunteered with the Rosemary Beach Foundation Music In Pictures Initiative (MIP). In its 12th year, MIP is an educational arts initiative and juried arts contest open to all K-12 students in any public or private school in Walton County, Florida. The project is a collaboration between the Foundation, professional musicians, and university faculty and students to use classical music to enhance art education.
After participating in interactive class presentations and performances, students create art pieces while listening to a classical composition. The juried art composition showcases the best interpretations from each of the 20 participating schools. Judging took place the day Alisa volunteered. Her role was to set out pictures by grade level for judging, one grade at a time (each school was allowed to submit 20 art pieces for the competition). It was a wonderful opportunity to see all the art creations and listen to the deliberations of the judges. Now all the art will be showcased in public spaces around Walton County for the next two months.
“I am very appreciative to WRMA CARES for supporting my volunteer work. MIP is an amazing opportunity for the students and such an asset to this county,” Alisa said.
Special Olympics (Duncannon, PA)
For an Ambassador Day, staff member Carissa Woleslagle volunteered at the Area M Special Olympics as a buddy. She was able to support an athlete throughout the day as the athlete competed in track and field events. The Special Olympics athlete motto is “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt”.
“I witnessed bravery all day, young athletes running races, jumping into sand pits, throwing softballs, walking assisted with wheelchairs or walkers,” Carissa said. “Times don’t matter; distance doesn’t matter; winning doesn’t matter. It’s humbling to watch so many talented kids give their all!”
Carissa said she chose this organization because there is nothing more rewarding than seeing the pure joy on young athletes faces as they compete, hearing the spectator’s cheering encouragement to athletes, watching buddies interact with their athlete, and seeing hundreds of volunteers help make this day so special.
“I say every year that on game day, my heart almost bursts with happiness as I watch these amazing athletes shine in their events. Athletes with intellectual and physical disabilities deserve these events that allow them to shine and be seen!” Carissa said.
Spring Valley Nature Center (Schaumburg, IL)
Staff member Lindsey Engelhardt spent an Ambassador volunteer day cleaning up litter and winterizing the pollinator gardens at her community’s Nature Center.
Her family frequently visits the Nature Center for its incredible outdoor nature playscape and summer children’s camps. Additionally, the pollinator gardens serve as a special haven for the Nature Center’s monarch butterfly program by providing a variety of milkweed and specific nectar types for the monarchs. The Nature Center helps rear butterflies by growing milkweed, providing a hub of flowers that cater to monarchs, and harvesting and hatching the monarch butterfly eggs to ensure the safety of the eggs and baby caterpillars.
Of the Ambassador day, Lindsey said, “Growing up in rural Illinois, I would see monarchs daily while exploring our prairie land. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to play a part helping these now endangered animals.”
Lindsey and fellow volunteers pulled out annual plants that were wilting due to frost. Then they provided haircuts to the remaining perennial plants so that come springtime, the gardens will be thriving once again, ready to welcome the monarchs.
In 2023, WRMA CARES purchased more than 200 wish list items for 61 teachers and counselors from 19 states. These educators were nominated by WRMA staff, who shared with us about the teachers in their lives. We are humbled to be able to provide a little extra support to so many teachers and counselors across the country. We hope this gesture made back-to-school just a bit easier on them and their wallets. Since its inception in 2022, WRMA’s Teacher Wish List Initiative has provided more than 300 wish list items for scores of educators across the country.
WRMA CARES sponsors other staff engagement initiatives throughout the year that align with our values. These initiatives aim to encourage supportive team building while also encouraging engagement in staff’s communities, habits that are healthy for staff and the environment, and involvement with DEIA efforts.
