Driving up to the NYCM Insurance campus in Sherburne, NY, all seems ordinary for a mid-August Wednesday; the sun is shining, a handful of employees can be found out walking on their lunch break and the humidity innate to summer in Central New York is palpable in the air.
There is, however, one thing out of place - the exceptionally long line of cars crowding the front parking lot, surrounded by employees operating with purpose in an assembly-line format; soap and sponges in hand.
Aside from being a beautiful day in one of our hometowns, the seemingly typical weekday marks the fifth annual Santa’s Suds Car Wash, a fundraiser for NYCM’s employee-run holiday giving initiative. The fundraiser is organized by the four-person Christmas Cares committee and encourages employees in the Sherburne office to pay $5 to have their cars washed while they’re at work and also enjoy VIP-parking for the day.
The car wash is one of many fundraisers that the Sherburne office does throughout the year to prepare for the holiday season, during which time, employees volunteer to purchase gifts for children in the community who otherwise may not have a present to wake up to on Christmas morning.
The Christmas Cares committee partners with local Sherburne-Earlville Central School, Unadilla Valley Central School andCatholic Charities to identify families before a call for volunteers is sent throughout the office. Employees sign up to shop for children, working to make their holiday seasons as special as possible. Gift cards are also supplied to families to use toward purchasing a holiday meal. Amounts spent on families are then matched by NYCM Insurance.
The employee-generated holiday giving campaign started over 20 years ago when employees realized the need to help fellow members of the community and has been going strong ever since.
“Last year this branch provided Christmas to 52 children and their families,” explained Katherine Wagner, Fraud Supervisor II and member of the Christmas Cares Committee. “We do it because this is our community and we want to help the people we know and love.”
Production Supervisor, Laurel Furner echoed the sentiment explaining, “One year there was a 16-year-old boy; the only thing he asked for was a warm blanket. That year the committee raised enough money so that we could spend $100 on each child. Needless to say, he got a warm blanket and so much more.”
Aside from offering car washes and VIP parking, the committee also sold root beer floats on campus and raffled off a cheesecake, baked up fresh by Alejandra Lewis, an NYCM employee and locally-famous baker.
Customer Service member Annette Morton, mastermind behind the “Santa’s Suds Car Wash” has been involved in the volunteer project for eight years. “It truly is a team effort to make the Christmas Care Project successful. Some donate items, some wrap the gifts, some shop and some deliver the items to the churches or schools. I am happy to be part of such an amazing team that gives back to those who really need us.”
The fundraising will continue throughout the year, taking the form of themed lunches, raffles and auctions, in hope that everyone in our community can have the best Christmas possible.
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