At NYCM Insurance, we’re proud to corporately sponsor 10 major charitable organizations annually.
And while we can’t pick a favorite, the American Heart Association is
especially close to our heart. Twenty eight years ago, we began our partnership
with the American Heart Association as a way to give back to a cause that we
felt strongly about - unfortunately, many of our employees have experienced the
trauma that heart disease can bring,
either on a personal level or through family members and friends. It was a
cause that our teammates could rally behind and continue to support to this
day.
Read on to learn more about how we support
this organization and a cause that we’re passionate about.
Wear Red Day
Our Heart month initiatives kick off in
February with Wear Red Day. Every year, the first Friday in February is Go Red for Women Day; a day all
about women standing in solidarity to make a commitment to heart health. Women
are notorious for not always putting themselves first. They may feel symptoms
associated with heart disease but might not acknowledge them because they're worried about what they’re going to
make for dinner, concentrating on what errands they have to run after work or preoccupied with taking
care of everyone but themselves. Internally, NYCM Insurance
participates in Go Red for Women Day by encouraging our entire employee base to
wear red to raise awareness for the cause.
America’s Greatest Heart Run &
Walk
We’re proud that America’s Greatest Heart Run
and Walk takes place in our backyard, in Utica, NY, and look forward to being
the Signature Sponsor for the event. Why is it the “greatest”? Because it was
the first Heart Run/Walk event to reach one million dollars through fundraising
efforts. Every year we look forward to fundraising for the event and
participating as a team. You can find us engaging with fellow Heart Walk
enthusiasts at the expo the day before the event, as well as participating in
the event itself. Our employees enjoy walking together as
a team, and members of our Brand Management division can often
be found handing out snacks and water at a checkpoint during the race.
Last year, former Chief Financial Officer and
current board member Albert Pylinski was honored with special recognition for being the event’s top fundraiser - raising more
than $72,000 for the American Heart Association.
Public Relations Supervisor Stephanie Bader is
heavily involved in NYCM’s support of the Heart Association, both behind the
scenes and on the ground at events such as America’s Greatest Heart Run &
Walk: "I have been a part of Team
NYCM at America's Greatest Heart Run & Walk for five years now, and every
year is different, but the message is always the same: fight against heart
disease and stroke. We have enormous camaraderie at NYCM and seeing everyone
come out with their "why" written on their bib number is amazing.”
Oneonta Indoor Walk
In addition to the Utica event, our team also
participates in the Indoor Heart Walk in Oneonta, NY, which is a great event
alternative for families and those who would have difficulties braving the cold
March air in CNY. You can find us walking in the event as well as handing out
water bottles to participants!
Fundraisers
Leading up to the events in March, our
employees enjoy fundraising for the Heart
Association through a variety of different means. One fundraiser that employees
look forward to planning and participating in is the Chicken BBQ fundraiser put
on through Brooks’ House of BBQ in Oneonta.
The fundraiser is spearheaded by NYCM employees who are passionate about the
cause and always sees a large turnout from the rest of the employee base.
Another fundraiser includes designing limited-edition Heart Run & Walk
apparel for employees to purchase from our on-campus NYCM merchandise store. This fundraiser is a fan
favorite and - this year - saw the sale of over 400 items, with proceeds going
directly to Team NYCM. Apparel items include branded t-shirts, long-sleeve
shirts, zip up sweatshirts and hoodies.
Hands Only CPR Collegiate Challenge
In addition to sponsoring America’s Greatest
Heart Run & Walk, we’re proud to sponsor the Hands Only CPR Collegiate Challenge
- a friendly contest among colleges in
the Utica, NY area designed to teach as many people as possible how to
administer hands-only CPR. How does the contest work? The school that teaches
the most people wins a prize!
“NYCM leaders, such as SVP of Customer
Relations Management and Chairperson of the event, Jeremy Robinson and former CFO
Albert Pylinski really get behind the cause and are true advocates while
promoting why the American Heart Association and their work is so
important.” Bader continued, recalling
NYCM’s historic support.
“From our Wear Red Day photo to the various
fundraisers that happen in the office, we're happy to promote the cause every
year and even more proud that our partnership has helped fund lifesaving
science with a goal to keep more hearts beating."
To learn more about the American Heart
Association click here.
And to donate to our Heart Run & Walk team, click on the button below.
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