Put yourself in the shoes of a tired parent sitting down to a home-cooked meal after a long day in a sick child’s hospital room. Picture a student’s smiling face as he discovers the joy of reading.
If you do, you’ll begin to understand why Amanda Blumenthal dedicates so much time as a volunteer and rallies her coworkers to share their own time and talents to make a difference.
In more than 25 years as an Independence Blue Cross (Independence) employee, just a few of the organizations Amanda has supported are the National Adoption Center, Rebuilding Together® Philadelphia, the Ronald McDonald House, and Philly Reads.
Captaining a crew of passionate volunteers
Before there was a Blue Crew, Amanda bonded outside of work with her coworkers — not over beers, but as volunteers with a passion for helping children and families across our region.
Like anyone who’s passionate about their work, Amanda and the other founding Blue Crew members were eager to get more people involved. With support from Lorina Marshall-Blake and other executive leaders, they transformed their extracurricular efforts into our company’s formal corporate volunteer program.
The Blue Crew advisory board members continue to build relationships with organizations of all sizes — currently supporting more than 70 non-profit organizations and events — and connect employees and their friends and families to opportunities to serve others.
Find volunteer opportunities that inspire you
As she’s helped the Blue Crew grow over the past 16 years, Amanda still loves that volunteers get the chance to support diverse causes and events that are meaningful to them while showing how much Independence employees really care about our community.
So what’s the best way to fit volunteering into a busy schedule? First, there are no rules, and you don’t need to volunteer every night of the week. Amanda advises committing one hour at first. She also suggests contacting organizations whose mission you support to ask if they need volunteers.
And she encourages you to bring a coworker, friend, or family member so you can enjoy making a difference in someone’s life together!
We’re profiling members of the advisory board for our Independence Blue Cross (Independence) Corporate Volunteer Program — the Blue Crew. Blue Crew advisory board members lead individual projects, promote volunteerism, and evaluate and select the organizations, projects, and events our Blue Crew supports. Know an organization or a local event that could use enthusiastic volunteers? Contact the Blue Crew.
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