Vicki gives back to communities, volunteering more than just time and energy
Originally posted on Bloomberg.com
At the heart of every Bloomberg volunteer is a commitment to helping those most in need. And, in many cases, the causes they support are deeply personal. As the company marks Cancer Awareness Month, we speak to Vicki Thompson about why she volunteers.
Vicki Thompson is a global project manager in the News department at our New York headquarters and is going into her 18th year at Bloomberg. She started participating in Bloomberg volunteer activities soon after joining the company in the Sydney office, when her manager encouraged her team to join a Best of Bloomberg volunteer event around the holidays, packaging gifts for families in need.
“I loved the holiday event,” Vicki recalled. “When I found out that Bloomberg offered volunteer opportunities year round, I was impressed by the variety and number of programs. I wanted to get involved in them all.”
This led Vicki to invest considerable time serving the many charities Bloomberg supports, as well as getting to know other Bloomberg volunteers from across the company. It is that comradery and opportunity to work with employees across different departments and offices that keeps her coming back time and time again.
As a result of her volunteer efforts, Vicki earned the opportunity to give $5,000 to a Bloomberg-supported charity through the Bloomberg Dollars For Your Hours program. This program allows employees who reach a certain number of volunteer hours a year to select a charity for Bloomberg to donate $2,500 (for 25 volunteer hours) or $5,000 (for 50 volunteer hours) to on their behalf.
“I was inspired to give my donation to cancer research because of Mike Bloomberg and Joe Biden’s article on the cancer moonshot,” Vicki explained. “We are so close to finding cures for this disease – I felt like that’s where my donation could help make a difference.”
“But, at the time I picked cancer research for my donation, I had no idea I was contributing to something that would become so personally significant in my life.”
Vicki recently learned that her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. “Without the ability to volunteer and the company’s amazing generosity in matching dollars for my volunteer hours, I would never have been able to make such a significant contribution.”
Last week, when Bloomberg held Wear Pink Day in support of Breast Cancer Awareness, Vicki was once again reminded about how central philanthropy and giving back is to the Bloomberg culture. “I knew my colleagues and I planned to wear pink, but I was surprised and touched to see so many people dressed in pink for a cause that is now even more close to my heart. It really shows how dedicated Bloomberg is to bringing awareness to everyone.”
At its core, Bloomberg provides opportunities for staff to give back to the community and society.
“Bloomberg gives me the opportunity to see the outcomes of my efforts—and enables me to invest in charities beyond just donating my time,” said Vicki. “These programs have even taken me to places I would not normally go and provided me experiences I would otherwise never have.”
As a Bloomberg volunteer, Vicki has been taken to the far corners of New York to work on projects in Staten Island, the Bronx, Governors Island and Newark, NJ, all places outside of her regular Manhattan commute.
She’s put up deer fencing, removed invasive species, built a greenhouse and cleaned beaches, painted schools with Publicolor, given away bikes at schools and built houses with Habitat for Humanity.
In addition, Vicki often serves as a team captain on many volunteer projects. This year, when Bloomberg launched a partnership to support the Sean Casey Animal Rescue foundation in Brooklyn, she provided project management guidance and even learned new skills that she brought back to her work at Bloomberg.
It’s the chance to pay it forward that keeps Vicki motivated to volunteer, and bring her fellow employees along for the ride. And she always manages to volunteer over 100+ hours a year.
“Bloomberg is truly in a league of its own when it comes to the way it encourages employees to think about their work in a context bigger than themselves,” Vicki said. “I’m grateful we offer this platform for employees to make a difference – very few companies offer anything like this.”
Learn more about some of the non-profit organizations Bloomberg works with in our latest installment of the Bloomberg 35 series, celebrating our company’s 35th anniversary by spotlighting 35 of our philanthropy partners throughout the year.
