The “Symetra Week of Service” kicked off Monday, August 24, as Symetra employees fanned out across the Puget Sound region to volunteer for several community projects. Through August 28, employees will be trading computers for shovels and cell phones for paint brushes to clean up parks, help the environment and give back to the community.
More than 130 employees from the company’s headquarters office in Bellevue will take part. Symetra’s regional offices across the country will participate as well, choosing projects that are important in their local communities.
The community projects include:
* Kelsey Creek Farm and Park barn cleaning. This neighborhood park in Bellevue, with its picturesque barns and farm animals, is truly a special park venue. Volunteers will be cleaning, painting and organizing the barn facilities to make it even more inviting for everyone to enjoy.
* Mercer Slough restoration and maintenance. Volunteers will pull weeds, rake leaves, and perform general maintenance on this important local watershed in south Bellevue, which is home to hundreds of diverse plants and animals that depend on this unique ecosystem for survival.
* YMCA Camp Terry ropes-course construction. Volunteers will build a new low ropes-course for the camp in Preston. With a big swing, obstacle course, and other activities, this will help develop the camp into an environmental education and teambuilding resource for local schools, and both public and private institutions.
* City of Sammamish rose garden. With some digging, planting, weeding and fertilizing, volunteers will build a large rose garden near Sammamish’s City Hall.
* Zaccuse Creek restoration. Volunteers will help rescue Zaccuse Creek from invasive plants, which are taking over and preventing the growth of native plants that provide vital food and shelter for animals.
* Homeward Pet Adoption Center facility painting. Volunteers will paint the Homeward Pet Adoption Center, a nonprofit animal shelter serving the Seattle area.
* Juanita Beach Park cleanup and maintenance. A 30-acre community park on the shores of Lake Washington, the park is a popular destination for swimming, sunbathing, picnicking, and sports activities. Volunteers will be removing milfoil and weeds, landscaping and restoring the beach.
“Enthusiastic employee engagement is at the heart of all Symetra’s community activities,” said Stan Emert, managing director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Symetra Financial. “We are so proud of our employees for their hard work and commitment to making the Puget Sound region a better place to live and work.”
In 2008, Symetra employees supported more than 300 charitable organizations and accumulated more than 8,000 hours of volunteer service.
