WSFS Associates and Their Families Volunteer Across the Region for Take Your Children to the Community Day

For nearly 200 years, WSFS has been committed to serving the communities where its Associates live, work and play.

Continuing one of its more recent traditions to help teach younger generations the value of giving back, WSFS Associates, their children and family members formed a group of more than 60 volunteers across the Greater Philadelphia and Delaware region on April 28 as part of “Take Your Children to the Community Day,” WSFS’ spin on the national “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.”

“Our dedicated Associates are the gift that keeps on giving, leveraging their time, talent and resources to help make an impact in the community throughout the year,” said Vernita Dorsey, Senior Vice President, Director of Community Strategy at WSFS Bank. “Take Your Children to the Community Day provides an excellent opportunity for Associates to get their families involved in the community and teach younger generations the importance of giving back. We look forward to this day each year as a chance to work with our nonprofits and make an impact in the areas where we live, work and play.”

Groups of eager volunteers spread out across the region to help various organizations, including the Delaware Humane Association, Delaware Center for Horticulture, Southern Delaware Therapeutic Riding, Jewish Relief Agency, Lisa’s Army Ziplock Bag Campaign, Our Closet, Cradles to Crayons, Manna on Main Street, and UrbanPromise NJ.

As just one of the many activities Associates and their family members took part in, volunteers got their hands dirty to help beautify the Hattie Phelan Garden.

“We want to thank WSFS’ volunteers for coming out to help clean up the historic Hattie Phelan Garden on the East Side of Wilmington,” said Marcia Stephenson, Delaware Center for Horticulture Director of Advancement. “Volunteers helped pick up trash, pull weeds, prune shrubs and rake leaves. WSFS volunteers have been working at this garden each spring for the last 5 years, and WSFS has also supported our Public Landscapes and Branches to Chances Program.”

Volunteers also filled multiple shifts for Our Closet, a volunteer-driven program with the goal of providing the basic need of clothing to vulnerable individuals and their families throughout the region.

“It was such a pleasure having WSFS join us both at our pop-up shop at Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral and at our warehouse to help out,” said Melanie London, Our Closet Program Director. “The WSFS team spent the day sorting clothing donations, organizing inventory, packing emergency clothing bags for delivery, and helping shoppers directly with obtaining the clothing they need. Our relationship with WSFS is truly meaningful. Not only do they share our commitment to helping those in need by supporting us financially, they join us to volunteer, making even more of an impact. We’re so grateful for this partnership!”

In New Jersey, volunteers helped prepare the UrbanPromise Butterfly Garden for the warm weather.

“On behalf of UrbanPromise I’d like to say thank you to the WSFS team that served at our campus,” said John Bahm, UrbanPromise Workgroup Manager. “The WSFS team came up big in the Butterfly Garden transformation to prepare the garden for the spring and summer seasons. Their effort is what epitomizes the true value and mission of UrbanPromise. We believe our efforts transform the lives of the children we support, just like the Butterfly Garden transforms the caterpillar into the butterfly. We cannot do this without the help, effort and love that our partners like WSFS provide!”

The volunteerism didn’t stop with Take Your Children to the Community Day, however, as WSFS Associates took part in Teach Children to Save Week from April 25-29, providing in-person and virtual financial literacy lessons to hundreds of elementary school students in Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.