This past week, Quility launched its inaugural Protect the Path event. From April 16-April 22, agents and corporate staff came together for a common purpose: to clean up trails across the U.S. in support and celebration of Earth Day. In total, more than 250 people participated from coast to coast.
Planning began months prior to the event. Whit Zeh, Quility’s Senior Director of Corporate Well-Being and Community Outreach, kicked off the process by helping agency owners create teams in various U.S. cities. Using our online portal, agents and staff were able register, sign waivers and receive important information and reminders leading up to their event.
“The success of Protect the Path 2023,” says Zeh, “is the result of those who planned and promoted the event as well as those who showed up ready to care for the earth in their communities. It’s heartwarming to see our staff and agents be the culture that Quility seeks to create—one deeply invested in impact.”
Protect the Path was made possible by Quility’s internal initiative, The Ripple Model™, which in part provides staff and agents with sustainable community outreach opportunities. The Ripple Model intends to not only provide a framework for creating wholehearted culture, but to cast pebbles, stones and boulders of empowerment, outreach and inspiration with the intention of creating wider and wider circles of impact.
Protect the Path proved to be a ripple-making event in more ways than one.
For example:
- When registration began, groups were established in eight designated cities. By the time registration was complete, more than 30 additional locations had been created in response to demand.
- What began as an effort to clean trails, naturally expanded to public spaces, rivers, marshes and beaches. One group in Baltimore, MD teamed up with the Eden Mill Nature Center whose volunteers provided education on invasive weeds and plants. With new knowledge and guidance in hand, our agents worked to remove 15 bags of weeds and trash, protecting not only the trails but the watershed as well.
- Many participants reported expressions of gratitude from event onlookers (sometimes a smile is the best ripple of all!)
Not only do events like Protect the Path benefit communities at large, they also provide opportunities for community and relationship building within our company. In Asheville, Quility’s headquarter location, 40+ participants worked side-by-side along the French Broad River Trail and Charles D. Owens Park and completed the day with a shared meal and time to socialize. With a predominately remote workforce, Quility highly values these opportunities for connection.
Community Outreach is just one of The Ripple Model’s three pillars. Learn more today!
