Employee Giveback

Sarah's Guest House

Visions team members from Risk, Financial Wellness, Branch, and Community Development in Syracuse, NY volunteered on a Saturday afternoon in February 2023 to repaint two adjoining guest rooms at Sarah’s Guest House. The light blue paint was carefully selected to both brighten up the space and provide a calming atmosphere for guests. Visions has supported the work of Sarah’s Guest House for several years through sponsorship, volunteerism, and in-kind donations.

Supporting Health Care and Hospice Services

Each month, Visions employees have the option of donating $5 per paycheck to support various organizations and efforts throughout the year. This program is called Denim Days, and January 2023 supported health care and hospice organizations throughout our footprint. Some of the organizations affected were the Alzheimer’s Association of Central NY, Ronald McDonald House Charities of CNY, Planned Parenthood of Central & Western New York, and the American Heart Association to name a few.

2022 Season of Giving

Our annual community initiative, Season of Giving, celebrates all the incredible giveback efforts our employees create or participate in during the holiday season! We are privileged to be able to give back to our communities and provide support during a time it is needed most. Some of the efforts included gift donations to a local family from our Visions Investment Services, Medicare, and Trust departments, a winter coat and hat collection for local students led by our Auditing team, a Giving Tree at our Headquarters location filled with tags to sponsor a child for the holidays, a donation drive led by Teresa (Branch Manager - Washington Township Office) for military families in NJ and for care packages for servicemen and women abroad, a household and personal hygiene item donation to the Abuse & Rape Crisis Center in the Towanda/Wysox, PA community, and much more!

Toys for Tots

Some of our Financial Wellness Officers and Interns from our Newark Valley and Union-Endicott High School branches recently came together for a volunteer effort in our community. They packed bags for Toys for Toys at the Oakdale Mall in Johnson City, NY and assisted with organizing and distributing the toys to families in need. Great job, Financial Wellness team!

Supporting United Way

In exchange for the option to wear jeans on Fridays, Visions employees donate $5 or more every paycheck. These donations go right back into the communities we serve. For the month of November, all donations were dedicated to United Way locations in NY, NJ, and PA. The United Way works to unite the resources of donors and volunteers to support programs in our communities that make an impact in the areas of health, financial stability, and family support.

Clear Path for Veterans

With the Future Business Leaders of America and Student Government, Visions Binghamton High School interns volunteered for Clear Path for Veterans at American Legion Post 1645. Our interns worked the coffee and water station for the Thanksgiving Luncheon Canteen along with additional Visions employees, all while the veterans in attendance enjoyed a delicious lunch of turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese, and an assortment of pies. The event leader was extremely grateful and mentioned that it was the most volunteers they've had so far!

Broome County Festival of Lights

'Tis the season for holiday magic, and the Broome County Festival of Lights was back for the 3rd year in a row to spread some cheer throughout Otsiningo Park in Binghamton, NY! The Spiedie Fest (host of the BC Festival of Lights) recently acquired Tall Pines Players Club Forest of Lights, previously located in PA, which means the light show this year was bigger and better than ever before. Visions employees rose to the challenge and volunteered to assemble light displays, greet attendees, direct cars, and accept tickets or payment throughout the 2-month long event.

Syracuse Turkey Giveaway

Some of our team in Syracuse, NY volunteered at a turkey giveaway hosted by Empire Orange Publishing, Ed23Hoops, and the Hart And Tay Foundation. The giveaway took place at Tipp Hill Community Center. Event organizers collected donations to provide Thanksgiving dinners to community members in need. Dinner boxes were assembled and distributed to hundreds of individuals and families. Each box contained a turkey and all the traditional fixings. Visions proudly supported the event with both volunteers and a sponsorship.

Supporting Cancer Awareness

In exchange for the option to wear jeans on Fridays, Visions employees donate $5 or more every paycheck. These donations go right back into the communities we serve. The organization Trumansburg Takes on Pediatric Cancer was nominated to receive a Denim Days donation for the month of September. The organization raises funds to support NY families of pediatric cancer patients. The funds help with any unplanned expenditures a family may incur throughout their child's diagnosis, such as gas money for trips to a hospital, lodging, meals, and much more. Trumansburg Takes on Pediatric Cancer is 100% volunteer run and serves a large area of Upstate NY.

Home HeadQuarters Block Blitz

In September, a few Visions employees from the Community Development team joined over 300 other volunteers for #BlockBlitz, an annual event organized by Home HeadQuarters. Over 60 homes in the Salt Springs/Lemoyne College neighborhood of Syracuse, NY were repaired, landscaped, and painted in a single day at no cost to the residents. The Visions team edged sidewalks, mulched, and painted the foundation of their assigned house. The homeowners also received a newly paved driveway! Home HeadQuarters is a non-profit housing and community development organization whose mission is to create housing opportunities in Central and Upstate New York for individuals and families and improve the communities in which they live.

United Way - Day of Caring

Visions employees spent time around the Broome County, NY area volunteering as part of the United Way Day of Caring. Day of Caring was conceived as a remembrance of those who lost their lives during the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, and to honor the many heroes that evolved from the aftermath of that day. It has continued through the spirit of local volunteers and has grown into an annual tradition. Visions is proud to partner with the United Way of Broome County to sponsor the event and provide volunteers. One group of employees spent the day at the Endicott Visitor Center in Endicott, NY getting their hands dirty while scraping, painting, and pulling weeds. The building currently serves as a historical museum and a banquet facility run entirely by volunteers.

Endwell Methodist Church

Our high school student interns came together to volunteer at the Endwell Methodist Church in Endwell, NY. They spent their time assembling furniture, assisting with lawn work, and cleaning up garden beds in preparation for winter. Awesome teamwork, Visions interns!

Packing Backpacks for Kids

United Way of Passaic County hosted Backpacks 4 Kids in partnership with dozens of Passaic County organizations, including Benny's Bodega. The program is a combined effort between NJ area businesses and employees to provide free backpacks and school supplies to children in need for the upcoming school year. Each backpack contains a composition notebook, crayons, pencils, erasers, pens, and a single-subject notebook. Visions team members from our Augusta and Saddle Brook branches joined the initiative and helped pack backpacks for school age children supported by the program.

Supporting Social Justice

Denim Days donations come directly from Visions employees that donate $5 or more every paycheck to wear jeans on Fridays. These donations are put back into the communities we serve to support various causes. For the month of August, Visions selected organizations supporting social justice initiatives to receive Denim Days donations. We provided funds to the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative, the LGBT Center of Reading, the Village at Ithaca, and the Community Action of Lehigh Valley.

CHOW: High School Interns

All the Visions high school interns for the 2022-2023 school year volunteered for CHOW at their warehouse in Elmira, NY to pack and sort donations that will be sent out to CHOW's community partners. They packed over 100 boxes of food, totaling over 3,180 lbs!

Supporting Animal Care

For the month of July, Visions selected organizations specifically focused on supporting animal care to receive Denim Days donations. Denim Days donations come directly from Visions employees that donate $5 or more every paycheck to wear jeans on Fridays. These donations are put back into the communities we serve to support various causes. We provided funds to the Broome County Dog Shelter, Every Cat's Dream, Broome County Humane Society, The American Cat Project, Syracuse SPCA, and Two Hearts Animal Rescue in Warren County, NJ.

Fighting Hunger: Denim Days

For the month of June 2022 Visions provided monetary donations to several organizations that specifically provide hunger support within our communities. These donations come from employees that allocate $5 of their paycheck to participate in our Denim Days program. Participating in the program affords employees the option to wear jeans on Fridays.

Supporting Mental Health Services

Visions employees have the option to wear jeans on Friday with a $5 donation each paycheck. For the month of May 2022 Visions split the total collection and provided donations to several organizations that support mental health services, including the CNY Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Children’s Home of Wyoming Conference.

2022 Anti-Hunger Games

During the months of April, May, and June, all Visions employees throughout our three-state footprint were challenged to take action against food insecurity and participated in a organization-wide food drive. To go a step further, Visions provided Denim Days donations to charities that provide relief for those suffering from hunger.

United Way Day of Action

Each year in early June, the United Way encourages local volunteers to take action and promote change in communities around the world – known as the Day of Action. Some of our Visions team participated this year by helping to weed, mulch, and beautify the courtyard at Binghamton’s Roberson Museum and Science Center.

Saddle Brook Food Drive

Deiredra, Branch Manager of our Saddle Brook, NJ branch, recently organized a food drive to provide much-needed items for the Center for Food Action. More than 200 items were collected and dropped off at this valuable organization. Thank you for supporting our community, Saddle Brook team!

Tompkins Learning Partners

Another Denim Days check presentation in the books! Nominated by Visions employee Craig, Tompkins Learning Partners was selected as our April 2022 Denim Days recipient!

Supporting Youth Services

Several organizations were selected as our March 2022 Denim Days recipients. These organizations all provide support and services to youth in the various areas that we serve. Among the recipients were the Greater Ithaca Activities Center (Ithaca, NY), Give a Kid a Dream (Long Branch, NJ), Worth More Nation (Rochester, NY), and The Empowerment Zone (West Orange, NY).

Clear Path for Veterans

Visions Cares volunteers were able to serve free lunches to over 75 veterans and their families at the Binghamton American Legion Post 1645. Lunches were provided by Clear Path for Veterans, a service organization that offers programming and resources to active service members, veterans, and their families.

Greater Ithaca Activities Center

Our March 2022 Denim Days contributions went to The Greater Ithaca Activities Center. GIAC is a center for all ages, particularly youth and teens, serving the immediate neighborhood and the greater Ithaca area by providing multicultural, educational, and recreational programs focused on social and individual development.

Visions Human Resources Team at VINES

To give back to the community and take advantage of our Volunteer Time Off employee perk, members of our Human Resources team volunteered at VINES in Downtown Binghamton. We mainly worked in one of the VINES greenhouses pulling weeds and preparing soil for planting. We also planted new crops in starter containers that will be transferred to a greenhouse when ready. Great work team, and thanks for helping a local organization!

American Heart Association

As part of our employee-driven Denim Days donation for the month of February 2022, we presented a check to the American Heart Association of Binghamton, NY.

Emergency Services

Have you ever wondered why Visions employees wear jeans on Fridays? We have the option to donate $5 or more every paycheck in exchange for this opportunity. Our donations go right back to non-profits in the communities we serve. In January 2022, the Denim Days donation went to various emergency service organizations within our three-state footprint.

CHOW

Our Community Development department came together in Broome County to help our neighbors at the CHOW Warehouse sort, weigh, and pack food donations from CHOW’s Food-a-Bago donation collection in November 2021.

Willow Domestic Violence Center

Willow Domestic Violence Center in Rochester, NY was our Denim Days recipient for October 2021, which also happens to be Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Willow Domestic Violence Center has been providing free and confidential services to victims of domestic violence, without judgement, to individuals in Monroe County for over 40 years.

Broome County Festival of Lights

To spread a little holiday cheer, some of our employees and their families volunteered to string up lights for the Broome County Festival of Lights in Otsiningo Park. The drive-through event features beautiful light displays, fireworks, and hot air balloon glows available to the public on winter evenings.

American Cancer Society

Each year, Visions is a major sponsor of the “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” campaign across all three of our regions. Team Visions laced up their sneakers in Broome, Bergen, and Lehigh counties to walk along with hundreds of other participants supporting the fight against breast cancer. Thank you to all our employees that helped contribute to our annual campaign!

Chenango United Way

Visions employees are given the opportunity to enjoy wearing jeans on Fridays by donating $5 or more every paycheck. These donations go right back into the communities we serve and support hand-picked nonprofits each month. Through Denim Days, Visions supported the Chenango United Way in Norwich, NY for the month of June 2021. Chenango United Way builds partnerships and maximizes resources to enhance the quality of life for local residents and improve their income, education, and health.

United Way Day of Action

Every year in June, thousands of people across the globe take action to improve their communities by volunteering with the United Way. These opportunities seek civic-minded volunteers, volunteer groups, and families looking to share their time and talents to help local organizations for the annual Day of Action. Visions employees took part on June 18th by volunteering at the Discovery Center in Binghamton, NY and assisted with painting a new attraction for their popular Story Garden.

Visions FCU Anti-Hunger Games

During the months of April, May, and June 2021, Visions held an Anti-Hunger Games campaign, which encouraged all employees to participate in activities and acts of service that would help alleviate food insecurity in the communities we serve.

Career Development Council

Selected for a Denim Days donation, Visions supported the Career Development Council in Elmira, NY for the month of April 2021. This not-for-profit is affiliated with the Greater Southern Tier BOCES that partners with business, industry, and area school districts to provide high quality K-12 career education services to over 28,000 students and educators each year.

“I Heart My Match” NAFCU/PAC

Every year, Visions employees contribute to the NAFCU/PAC “I Heart My Match” program, which matches contributions for every dollar up to $170,000. Visions selects local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to receive the matched donated funds. In 2020, over $16,000 in PAC donations were raised, matched, and donated to Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital, NY and Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, PA.

Holiday Giving

We gave back in a new way during the 2020 holiday season! Visions employees participated in a Season of Giving, where we partnered with several organizations across our 3-state footprint for a unique giveback experience! Some of the nonprofits were even founded by employees! The Season of Giving partners included the American Red Cross, The Empowerment Zone, United Way, American Heart Association, NAFCU/PAC, Toys for Tots, and more!

2020 Day of Caring

Visions is committed to engaging and promoting volunteerism in all the communities we serve. On the annual Day of Caring 2020, some of our employees joined the volunteer efforts of the United Way in the beautiful outdoor garden of VINES – Volunteers Improving Neighborhood Environments, at the Tudor Street location in downtown Binghamton, NY. Volunteers graciously helped with weeding, mulching, and harvesting vegetables.

COVID-19 Lunch Donations

We are eternally grateful to the individuals that kept our communities healthy and safe during COVID-19. To show our support to health care workers and police departments throughout the counties that we serve in New Jersey, our Business Development team purchased meals as a way of saying thank you. Some of the organizations that received meals were St. Joseph’s Hospital and St. Mary’s General Hospital in Passaic, NJ; Brightview Senior Living Facility in Tenafly, NJ; and the police departments of Hackettstown, Mt. Olive, and Newton, NJ.

Broome County Humane Society

In an effort to give back to the community, our Consumer Lending department collected much needed donations for the Broome County Humane Society in New York. Mortgage Sales Manager, Brent Baker, volunteered to receive a pie in the face as a special “reward” for full team participation.

Corporate Giveback Challenge

Visions initiated a Corporate Giveback Challenge to collect food donations for local food banks to restock their supplies and help those in need. Collectively, employees donated a total of 6,940 items for food banks and charitable organizations across NY, NJ, and PA. As a result of 100% employee participation, Visions donated an additional $3,000 to the elected food banks.

Kindness Café

In partnership with our talented American Food and Vending chefs, Kindness Café is a community project designed to show appreciation amidst the COVID-19 pandemic to our local health care professionals by donating hot, freshly made meals. For every $5 contribution, 1 take-out meal would be donated. Visions employees raised $1,240 and donated 248 meals to medical professionals at UHS Hospital in Binghamton, NY.

Atlantic Health System’s Newton Medical Center

Visions employees Mary and Gloria paid it forward and shared their meals and goodie bags from a recent Newton Medical Center Foundation fundraiser with the Emergency Room Nurses at Atlantic Health System’s Newton Medical Center in New Jersey.

Friends Forever Animal Rescue

Our Syracuse and Cicero, NY offices saved their bottles and cans accrued during their time in quarantine to benefit Friends Forever Animal Rescue. After reopening in June, the collection amounted to 1,000 bottles and cans, equaling a $50 donation to the organization. The collection also included a personal donation from a generous Cicero local who overheard what our offices were doing and donated two bags of her own bottles and cans.

Shopping Cart Challenge

Our NY Contact Center employees stepped up to fight hunger in our communities with the ‘Food A Bag-o’ challenge in Binghamton, NY to benefit Broome County CHOW.

Food Collection Drive

Our Central Lending department initiated a food drive this past holiday season, collecting one type of food donation for each day of December. All items were donated to St. Anthony’s Food Pantry in Endicott, NY.

United Way of Tompkins County, Day of Action

Visions joined the volunteer efforts of the United Way of Tompkins County and the Center for Suicide Prevention and Crisis Service in Ithaca, NY, for Day of Action. Day of Action is an invitation for people and organizations around the world to put the United Way’s mission into action by volunteering to improve the building blocks for a good quality of life – education, financial stability, and health.

Association for Vision Rehabilitation and Employment

Visions employees raised $1,380 through our Denim Days program to the Association for Vision Rehabilitation and Employment (AVRE), a non-profit organization in Binghamton, NY that serves people who are blind or visually impaired.

Food Bank of the Southern Tier

Food insecurity impacts individuals throughout the communities we serve, and it’s a cause that our employees are passionate about. Through their donations alone, we raise over $3,000 to benefit the Food Bank of the Southern Tier every year.

ACHIEVE Bowling Tournament

Many of the events we sponsor come with tickets and additional benefits. As the title sponsor of Achieve’s “Pin Crushing” bowling tournament in Vestal, NY, our staff got to bowl for a fantastic cause – and meet Rowdy the Rumble Pony!

Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services

Our employees got to use some of their allotted “Volunteer Time Off” and help beautify the Ithaca, NY community, in partnership with INHS (Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services) during the annual Giving is Gorges day.

The American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is near and dear to our hearts. Our team in NJ is always pumped to participate in their annual “Heart Walk”.