Beyond our commitment to safety, reliability and customer satisfaction, Envoy is dedicated to serving the communities where we live and work. Whether we’re chartering flights for our military heroes, providing relief to natural disaster areas or cleaning up natural habitats, we’ll continue to provide service and outreach wherever we can.

Last week, coworkers from the Envoy Financial Services team lent their afternoon to volunteer at The Gatehouse in Grapevine, Texas. The Gatehouse is a “privately funded community where women and children end cycles of abuse and poverty” and provide its members with resources such as housing, transportation, and professional counseling, according to their website.

Find your reason why

The Envoy volunteers were tasked with organizing the onsite general store and Keeps Boutique, which provides clothing to members who have job interviews or other important meetings. Volunteers in the boutique did everything from sort donations to rearrange the clothes rack in the store, while those working in the general store organized the stockroom.

“Sure, lifting heavy crates of bottled water is a good workout, but I’m not here just for that,” said Sean Flynn, Envoy Financial Analyst. “It’s very humbling to give my time to a community that could use the help. That’s the real reason I’m here.”

For some of the volunteers, it was their first time ever giving back to the community, like Accounting Analyst Mahim Haider who said she wanted to give back her time to “help these women get back on their feet.”

“For us, it’s also really good team building,” said Mahim. “We get to spend time together outside of work and get to know each other better.”

Pay it back

The volunteer trip to The Gatehouse was proposed by Envoy newcomer Mallory Hubbard, who was a vice president of The Rotaract Club at the University of Texas at Dallas. With her background in networking and community organizing, Mallory saw a natural fit in taking on volunteer initiatives within the Envoy Financial Services team.

“Here at headquarters, I wanted Envoy to have a positive influence in the community,” said Mallory. “I saw the opportunity to involve us more frequently within the community, so I went for it. I just think that since I get help from others and use community resources that I should give my time back.”

Emily Avedikian from The Gatehouse says that every bit that volunteers can accomplish comes as a big help to her and the organization. As the director of the Keeps Boutique, she normally has to take care of the shop herself.

“If I can get a handful of volunteers for just two hours, that’s a huge help,” Emily said. “It would have taken me two weeks to do what they did today. As for our members, by making the shop more efficient it relieves the anxiety they might have about shopping.”

It’s a small act, but the volunteer team is glad they gave up their day to help others that need it.

“It feels good to help someone else,” said Accounting Clerk Valentina Todd. “Everybody’s time is precious, so why not share that with others and give back? It’s a great feeling.”