Citi is a service leader.

New York City recently hosted the National Conference on Volunteering & Service (NCVS), a large gathering of volunteer and service leaders. Convened by the Points of Light Institute and the Corporation for National and Community Service, the event provided 5,800 attendees with opportunities to share best practices through plenary sessions and workshops. Citi gave me the opportunity to attend in order to learn new skills and gain new connections for my roles as co-chair of Citi's New York Volunteer Council and as community outreach chair for a network of employees focused on sustainability.

There were several key themes repeated throughout the conference: 1) corporations have an obligation--and are strongly positioned--to drive change in the community; 2) companies must connect employees to the causes they're already passionate about and provide ample opportunity to serve; 3) involving the community in our outreach projects enables them to be agents in their own success; and 4) individual citizens can (and must) make a difference.

So it was fitting that in the days leading up to the conference, my colleagues and I had numerous opportunities to participate in volunteer and service opportunities organized in part by Citi. As part of "Teammates in the Community Week," I worked with Mets staff and players at Citi Field to break down a large shipment of produce into smaller bags for City Harvest to deliver to New York City community programs. (I'm pictured here with Mets alum Todd Zeile.) 

Citi is highly supportive of this type of volunteerism. I have always found that if you raise your hand to serve here, you will find the opportunity and resources you need to succeed. I'm excited to implement the lessons learned at NCVS and do my part to make Citi an even stronger service leader.