While the FinLocker head office is in St Louis, several team members work remotely, living in other cities in the U.S. Here is how five team members are making a difference in the community where they live through volunteering with a non-profit organization.
Alex Elliot volunteers for Loaves and Fishes in St Louis, an organization that operates as a food pantry and a homeless shelter for families with children. Alex helps pack boxes of nutritional food for the daily food pantry distribution service and prepares “snack packs” filled with microwaveable snacks and meals delivered to people residing in hotels that only have access to microwaves.
Bryan Garcia has been a member of the Information Systems Technology Advisory Board at the University of Missouri-St Louis since 2010, which provides input on the IST department’s strategy, curricula, research, and service. As a curriculum committee member, Bryan is committed to advancing STEM education and career opportunities for the next generation of technology professionals. In his current role as president of the Advisory Board, Bryan gave an inspiring keynote to the students attending the Fall UMSL Finance Career Conference in September.
Chris Hazen is a volunteer mentor with Son of a Saint, a non-profit organization based in New Orleans, LA. Son of a Saint’s mission is to transform the lives of fatherless boys and young men aged 10 to 18 through group and one-on-one mentorship, emotional support, developing life skills, tutoring, college and career readiness coaching, travel experiences, and the formation of positive, lasting peer-to-peer relationships.
Son of a Saint recognizes that human differences foster opportunities to learn from the experiences of others, so mentees representing all backgrounds, circumstances, and identities are welcomed into the program. Chris has a dedicated mentee with whom he regularly spends quality time and attends fundraising events to benefit the Son of a Saint program.
Brian Vieaux volunteers with the Downtown Boxing Gym, a non-profit youth program founded fifteen years ago by Kahli Sweeney in Detroit, Michigan, to provide a free academic and athletic program to ensure students have the tools to succeed in school and life. Students aged 8 to 18 receive educational assistance through after-school tutoring, math and literacy intervention, and frequent progress measurements. Students are encouraged to participate in various athletic activities to lead a healthy lifestyle and receive nutritious meals and health exams to ensure their wellness. Students grow through enrichment programs, such as art, math, science, and computer lab. DBG gives students socio-emotional skills through mentorship and peer support and provides opportunities to give back through community service. DBG mentors and supports students through age 25 with college and career guidance.
As an active board member, Brian focuses on spreading awareness of the youth program on social media and uses his business network to encourage contributions that will allow the organization to serve more students. Downtown Boxing Gym serves more than 200 Detroit-area students aged between 8 and 25 but has over 1,300 students on its waiting list. DBG is currently raising funds to expand its outreach to launch another program in Romulus, Michigan.
Diana Mulhall volunteers with The B Complex, an artist cooperative in her neighborhood that provides affordable work and exhibition space for the Atlanta arts community. The organization has 26 individual workspaces on the two-acre property used by painters, sculptors, artist blacksmiths, woodworkers, dancers, and performers. Diana uses her marketing skills to promote the artists and events held at The B Complex’s 8,000 sq ft exhibition gallery and is caretaker of the koi in the 5,000-gallon pond.