Volunteer Appreciation Week: Michelle Dame

Trident United Way is celebrating our volunteers who give of their time to make the biggest impact to our community. Because of you, we're a community that's UNITED for good. Meet Michelle Dame, who is responsible for all of the great help we receive from our corporate partner, Truist (formerly SunTrust and BB&T)

How long have you been volunteering and supporting TUW?

I lead our SunTrust Lowcountry Community Involvement initiative.  Now that we have merged with BB&T to become Truist, I look forward to continuing and growing our support for TUW in the years to come. Being part of the TUW volunteer team has helped me become a better person and brought our Truist teammates closer together.  We are constantly looking for ways to help in our communities and being able to do supply drives or donating our time to projects is a way we can make a difference.

What does it mean to you to volunteer and why TUW?

Helping others is what I feel like I was born to do. My parents and grandparents always taught us to be kind to others, help when we can and treat everyone like family. TUW is the obvious choice to be able to reach multiple organizations and create a big impact. The TUW team have become our family at Truist and we appreciate all they do for us. They constantly keep us in mind for any need an organization might have and we are always there ready to help whenever we can!

Michelle Dame smiling at a SunTrust event with TUW

How have you been able to get your workplace involved in volunteering with TUW?

Our teammates are a wonderful inspiration. Many volunteer outside of work or sit on boards of local organizations so it’s easy to get them involved.  We pride ourselves on making a difference in our communities and being there to help.

We’ve had over eight supply drives in the last three years and we will continue to do them quarterly. Becoming Truist (SunTrust & BB&T) has tripled the amount of teammates we now have in our region which helps us create more volunteering opportunities.

What do you think it means for your workplace to participate in these volunteer opportunities?

Volunteering with TUW helps us deliver our company’s purpose to inspire and build better lives and communities. Each supply drive gives us a chance to work as a team.

What has been your most memorable volunteer experience so far?

The cleaning supply drive with East Cooper Community Outreach featured teammates from over 10 branches who collected over 450 pounds of items. We had three cars packed to deliver items to the Mount Pleasant location. Sharing the photos and results with our teammates really resonates with us and shows how truly fortunate we have been to be able to give back to our communities.

What advice can you give to others young or mid-level professionals about getting involved in the community either as an individual or with their workplace?

Just ask!  Ask who has a need and how you can help!  Every little bit helps, it can be stocking up your neighborhood’s blessing boxes with food or signing up on TUW’s website to volunteer your time. 

If you’re looking to get your teammates involved, start by getting to know your teammates.  Find out what’s important to them and what you can do to help them deliver their purpose.