Reflecting On A Year of Communerosity

2021 provided our Gulf Coast (Northwest Florida and Southeast Alabama) communities with $400,000 dollars in donations and sponsorships. The power of these funds fought hunger through Mana Food Pantry in Escambia County and Prodisee Pantry in Mobile, delivered needed resources for our educational systems through our Share It® debit card program, organized a golf tournament to support our local Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, held a competition for three families to find their financial freedom NOW through the use of PenAir’s certified Financial Counselors, and so much more.

Employee-driven fundraising efforts continued to enhance lives for local charities. Funds raised through a pay-roll deduction program and matched by PenAir were dispersed through three main philanthropic initiatives. Jeans for Communerosity® identified 10 beneficiaries, spanning a variety of causes selected by our very own PenAir team members, with each organization received $5,000 toward their mission. Random Acts of Communerosity honored more personal needs ranging from school supplies, Christmas gifts, and a contribution toward cancer treatments. Additionally, staff members celebrated #NationalVolunteerWeek with the annual ‘I Wear Because I Care’ campaign where participating employees wear jeans all week to raise awareness for five addition nonprofits.

Outside of the dollars, each PenAir employee received five paid volunteer hours per month to donate their time and talents toward acts of service. Over the course of twelve months, our team members provided approximately 3,300 volunteer hours to over 113 organizations.

PenAir’s social media afforded you, our members, several opportunities to get involved in the giving. We went ‘back to school’ through Treat-A-Teacher, where followers self-identified nine deserving area teachers to receive items from their Amazon Wishlist. Give-A-Click, a holiday wreath contest, showcased the power of giving “clicks” in the name of spreading holiday cheer for three charities, complete with a holiday donation.

As a champion of education, we granted six graduating seniors’ scholarships, rooted in Communerosity®, awarded based on academic performance and passion for helping others. Recipients had the potential to receive up to $10,000 each, over a four-year period toward their post-secondary education ambitions.

These are just a few of the ways we provided our communities support for those in need. As we make plans and prepare for all 2022 has in store, we remain committed to enhancing the lives in the communities we serve and strive to meet their growing needs.