Making a Difference in Your Community

BHC Insurance is a long-term Pacesetter company for United Way, holding a campaign every August to jump start fundraising efforts for the following year.  Being a Pacesetter is important to us, as it aligns with one of our corporate goals to always play a part in making a difference and have a positive impact on our surrounding communities.  As part of our annual Pacesetter campaign, we hold a company-wide kick-off meeting with our staff, hosting speakers from both United Way and one of their partner agencies.  The goal being to highlight the ways local individuals and families are supported through the work of the United Way, get employees excited about the Pacesetter campaign, and promote participation in giving at any level through payroll deductions, direct billing, or even a one-time cash donation.  And by educating our employees on United Way it also helps spread the word of the strong community and services we have in Fort Smith and the surrounding areas.  With that knowledge, our employees can advise others when they hear of a family or individual in need or that is experiencing a difficult situation or hardship. 

In 2012, we started adding additional fundraising activities to our Pacesetter initiative to help increase our campaign total even further beyond the donation pledges of the staff and our corporate pledge amount.  That quickly evolved into our annual pacesetter wrap-up event, a full afternoon set aside at the end of our campaign and involving a companywide lunch, 50/50 drawing, and a fun (often competitive) activity to finish out the day. The employees pay an event fee for the afternoon activities which is 100% donated, along with the proceeds from the 50/50 drawing, to increase our total fundraising for our Pacesetter campaign. This event also provides us with one more opportunity to promote the impact of the United Way on our area, announce our annual campaign total and participation percentage, and thank the employees for their continued role in that impact.

Some of the annual events have included a dunk tank, pies in the face, a jousting competition, baggo tournaments, Crazy Bowling, and BHC Yard Wars (a relay style race amongst teams on our front lawn). But the all-time favorite of the employees is the BHC Amazing Race, in which employee teams follow clues in a scavenger hunt-style race around town. We include local businesses and stops at some of the United Way agencies on the race routes. This gives us a chance to promote the United Way to those businesses and gives our staff an opportunity to see the location and on-site facilities of those agencies included in the mapped-out race.

Our teams get incredibly competitive (and creative) in their attempt to be first to finish and be champs of the day, all in fun of course! There is a lot of laughter and good camaraderie shared.  Whatever the event, our BHC United Way Day is designed to rally the employees around our pacesetter initiative, building up the excitement as the conclusion of the campaign approaches, and highlight the importance of giving back and being a good citizen within our community – all while making it fun and helping to build our team mindset and sense of our internal BHC community.

In addition to our annual Pacesetter campaign, BHC always participates in the United Way Day of Caring and Fill the Bus events.  In recent years, we began looking at opportunities to give of our time throughout the year with a goal to set up quarterly volunteering initiatives. These give our staff a chance to get out of the office and their normal work routine and to take a break from their usual responsibilities. It provides a way for people from different departments to work together and build relationships, increasing the level of teamwork and camaraderie throughout the organization. Plus, it is extremely rewarding and just feels good to give back and work together on something beyond ourselves and that is to the benefit of others. And with the ability to give of their time during their regular work hours, this is especially beneficial for those that want to volunteer but simply do not have the time available in their personal lives.

The United Way has been a great resource for us in this initiative.  With their relationship with all of the partner agencies, they are able to make connections and help coordinate a wide variety of ways for us to volunteer.  Just a small sampling of activities available include reading to kids, helping with reorganization efforts and cleanup, serving meals, and sorting through or prep for distribution of donated items.

Volunteerism not only helps us serve the role we want to play in the community but is also an important part of our internal culture and how we want our staff to feel about being a part of the BHC family.  When employees can volunteer through their company, they often feel more engaged in their jobs and that they are part of an organization that cares. This is true even for those that opt not to sign up for volunteer projects, they still appreciate that it is available.  All this translates into feeling a stronger connection with the company and what we are building together. 

We are proud to partner with the United Way of Fort Smith Area and encourage everyone to get involved.  Whether as a company or on an individual level, anyone can play a part and make their own impact and contribute to serving our community.