By Carley McRee
For the employees of Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company, and most of the world, our daily lives came to a halt in March 2020, as we all had to find ways to adjust and quickly change our way of life. At SFBLI, much of the day-to-day work in the Corporate Communication and Training Department is focused on our community outreach efforts. With many employee volunteer days planned for 2020 that had to be put on hold along with our large employee-driven fundraising effort held in conjunction with our summer employee picnic, we had to adapt and find new ways to continue our community outreach efforts. As we knew, many of our partners were, of course, still serving in our communities.
We reached out to many of our community partners to identify their current and most pressing needs at that moment. To kick-off our community giving efforts, we encouraged our employees to submit “Messages of Hope” and words of encouragement to Make-A-Wish MS kids. We asked that employees post these on social media so that the “Wish Kids” whose wishes were postponed could see the encouragement of many fellow Mississippians! We also partnered with Canopy Children’s Solutions and asked employees to purchase items for kids who were quarantined away from their homes. This was a small way that our employees could give back and brighten a kid’s day.
We highlighted our community partners in several other ways as well. Employees were encouraged to purchase Mustard Seed art through their online shop and support the Metropolitan YMCA by providing resources to help with food costs for the youth in Hinds County and the surrounding area. SFBLI continued to be the title sponsor of Canopy’s 5K4Kids and, most recently, the Farm Bureau Watermelon Classic befitting the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. While encouraging our employees to remain active, we participated in two virtual races with Canopy Children’s Solutions and the Mississippi Hall of Fame and Museum. The virtual 5K’s were a way to keep our employees engaged with their health and well-being, to continue supporting our community partners, and to get families outside!
Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company was in a unique position that we had the resources and opportunity to feed those on the frontlines as well. In partnership with the Mississippi State Medical Association during April and May, we were able to provide relief for physicians and healthcare workers working in hospitals and clinics in Hinds, Madison and Rankin Counties. With an on-site Café at the home office building on Livingston Lane, operated by Sodexo, Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company and the Sodexo staff prepared over 500 meals and delivered them to various health care workers and facilities in the tri-county area. Several Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company employees delivered these meals throughout both months. This partnership was a small way that SFBLI could show our appreciation and thanks to the frontline heroes who have been and are continuing to work tirelessly to protect Mississippians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our company’s slogan “Your Friends for Life,” emphasizes one of our employees’ common threads of the desire to help others, be they family members or members of our community. We understand that for most of us, these are uncertain and scary times. However, despite those feelings, our employees are still moved to ask, “How can I help?” As we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, we will continue to look for opportunities to be a friend to our community partners.
Carley McRee, FLMI, ACS | Program Development Coordinator
Corporate Communications and Training
Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company
cmcree@sfbli.com
www.sfbli.com