Volunteering with purpose: Erica on giving back from the heart

When Erica was growing up in New Jersey, her mom was the one all the neighbors trusted to have a key to their home. “She was the one who was always helping everybody,” said Erica. “She was one of 12 children, so it started early and lasted all throughout her 92 years. She had an affinity for helping the elderly, children, and animals.”

Helping people was just the way Erica’s family did things. “That was our norm,” she said. Following in her mom’s footsteps, Erica has also spent much of her life in service of others and her community.

As an employee of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC), Erica stands out as someone who exemplifies our values of giving back to the communities where we live and work.

She will raise her hand for whatever opportunities come her way – whether it’s sorting donations at the food bank, helping to complete a KABOOM! playground, building a house through Habitat for Humanity, reading to kids, or filling backpacks through the Backpack Buddies program so that school children don’t go hungry on the weekends.

“You name it,” she said, “And I’ve probably done it.” She is also active in her church, visits with seniors in rest homes, and is finishing up her third and final term on the board of Reality Ministries in Durham, which creates opportunities for adults with intellectual disabilities.

Erica considers herself lucky to be a Blue Cross NC employee and says that volunteering is in the company’s DNA. “Blue Cross NC encourages employees to volunteer. They make it easy,” she said. “When you volunteer, they give you funds to donate, allowing you to have an even greater impact. And you can use up to eight work hours a year for volunteering.”

One volunteer event that stands out to her was a home she helped build for a family through Habitat for Humanity in Durham, NC.

“I met the family moving into the house,” she said, “And I connected with the grandmother. She’d seen some tough times, but you could tell she was so proud and relieved that her grandsons were going to have a safe place to live. She and I came from different backgrounds, but we connected as mothers.”

Humanity connecting with humanity, as Erica put it – being connected to a bigger purpose and the broader community. “It’s a calling,” she said about her volunteer work, “It’s just in my heart. We are all put on this earth for something, and I know this is part of my reason. It makes my heart sing.”

She continued, “It could be you who needs help next time, or it could be me. Life is tough. And a life can change extremely quickly – you could lose your job, your house could flood, you could be wondering where you’ll get your next meal. And you would want somebody to help you.”

Fortunately, there are people like Erica who are there to help.