For the employees at Van Wyk Risk Solutions, giving back to the community they serve is a huge part of what they do day in and day out.
“Each year we as a company select a charitable giving priority,” said Traci Poortenga, Vice President at Van Wyk Risk Solutions. “There are so many amazing nonprofits in our community, and we like to switch things up each year to support the needs of as many nonprofits as we can. The goal is to give back to the communities in which we belong in meaningful ways while also encouraging our employees to do the same. In 2020, our team selected Solutions for Youth as our charitable giving priority.”
Each quarter throughout the year, employees are encouraged to submit qualified nonprofit organizations to be considered for the charitable giving priority. In addition to Van Wyk’s initial corporate donation to the quarterly chosen nonprofit, and to inspire employee giving, Van Wyk will match all employee donations.
While Van Wyk selects multiple organizations that support children as part of this year-long campaign, their second-quarter recipient was the 3 Mile Project.
“Many of our employees’ kids have been able to experience 3 Mile Project whether it be through school or their youth group, so we were very excited about this opportunity to be able to give back to an organization very near and dear to our hearts,” said Traci.
3 Mile Project opened its doors in November of 2010 with the mission of providing a safe and loving place where young people can be encouraged in their physical, emotional, and spiritual development. The result is a 34,000 square-foot warehouse that now contains sports courts, theaters, a skate park, a ninja course, video games, table games, and a café.
Through their charitable giving initiative, Van Wyk donated $5,000 and matched $700 of employee contributions for a total donation of $6,400.
“Since the start of COVID-19, 3 Mile Project hasn’t been able to open and we know they are struggling with when they can open and when it’s safe to reopen – especially since their mission involves young people at their facility,” said Traci. “Any donation that we can make helps immensely to keep them afloat. They are such a great staple in our community.”
As a winner of the 2020 #SECURAGivesBack campaign, 3 Mile Project was awarded $2,500 on behalf of Van Wyk Risk Solutions and SECURA which will go directly towards their mission to providing a safe space for students to invest their time and build community.
