‘Symetra Week of Service’ Volunteers Give Back at Four Kirkland Projects

Nearly 500 employees from Bellevue-based Symetra mobilized around the Puget Sound region — and across the country — in support of local communities during the sixth-annual “Symetra Week of Service,” held July 7-11.

Wearing vivid blue ‘Symetra Volunteer’ T-shirts, employees logged nearly 1,900 hours over five days to help clear trails, landscape, stock foodbanks, assemble emergency preparedness kits, tutor kids, paint, clean and organize on behalf of 34 nonprofit organizations—23 around the Eastside and in the Greater Seattle area. (See complete Puget Sound-area list of organizations here.)

Four Kirkland organizations drew enthusiastic Symetra volunteer crews. Collectively, 52 employees contributed 171 hours of manpower — helping mark messages on storm drains to remind residents that chemicals should not be poured into drains for the City of Kirkland as well as assisting with park maintenance and cleanup at Juanita Bay Park; sorting donations and stocking shelves at the Hopelink food bank; cleaning the Kirkland Community Senior Center’s kitchen on behalf of the staff who daily prepare meals for seniors; and removing invasive blackberry bushes, weeding and mulching at Juanita Bay Park on behalf of the Green Kirkland Partnership.

Symetra Chief Financial Officer Margaret Meister was among the 11 volunteers on the Green Kirkland Partnership team working to remove invasive blackberry bushes and mulch at Juanita Bay Park on July 10, 2014. “The commitment to serving our communities and giving back with time, donations and dedication is one of the foundational elements of Symetra’s culture,” said Meister. “During our annual Week of Service, it’s just fun to be out there together helping to make things better.”

Symetra Week of Service began in 2009 with 130 employees in the company’s Bellevue headquarters volunteering at seven area projects. Since the program’s inception, Symetra employees have contributed nearly 8,300 Week of Service hours.

To see more of Symetra’s 2014 Week of Service volunteers in action, visit Facebook at www.facebook.com/Symetra. To learn about the company’s community programs, visit www.symetra.com/community.