There are many companies in town that closed up shop for Columbus Day, a federal holiday. But how many actually set up shop to make an impact in the community that day?

That’s exactly what Elements Financial, the second-largest credit union in Indianapolis, did on Monday, October 9. Hosting their first-ever Purpose Day, the Elements administrative offices and their 7 Indiana branches - mostly based at Eli Lilly and Company facilities — closed for the day. The time was used to bring together their 175 employees at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in the building carrying their very own name, the Elements Financial Blue Ribbon Pavilion.

This employee development event was similar in nature to United Way’s well-known Day of Caring, but customized for Elements and planned by their own Human Resources & Marketing teams.

WHEN: Columbus Day, Monday, October 9, 2017

10 AM – 12 PM

Elements employees worked in teams on hands-on projects for four local non-profits:

• Built 3 handicapped-accessible picnic tables for Camp Riley at Bradford Woods.
• Made 7 sleeping mats out of plastic shopping bags for the homeless youth of Outreach, Inc.
• Assembled hundreds of Thanksgiving turkey craft kits for the kids at Wheeler Mission.
• Put together 200+ Care Kits for the cancer patient clients served by Little Red Door Cancer Agency, each including a handwritten note of encouragement.
• Crafted 60 fleece blankets for Wheeler and Little Red Door.  
• Wrote and decorated 250 thank you cards for the doctors, nurses, and staff of Riley Children’s Hospital.

1 PM – 3 PM

Elements employees boarded four school buses and departed to tour the organizations they were supporting all morning — Riley Hospital for Children, Outreach Inc., Wheeler Mission Women & Children’s Center, and Little Red Door Cancer Agency. While there, they delivered surprise checks for $1,250 per organization and learned about future volunteer opportunities. Elements employees receive 8 hours of Volunteer PTO every year, so an important aspect of Purpose Day was exposing staff to ongoing opportunities to impact the community.

WHERE: Indiana State Fairgrounds in the Elements Financial Blue Ribbon Pavilion

WHY: A medium-sized company made a large impact in a single day.

HOW/CONTACT:

Michelle Payne - AVP, Branding and Communications 
1-317-997-3900
mpayne@elements.org

WHO: About Elements Financial 

Elements Financial is a diversified federal credit union with assets of more than $1.4 billion and 90,000+ members in all 50 states and 50 countries. As a financial wellness provider, Elements serves individuals through our original sponsor Eli Lilly and Company and more than 100 companies across Indiana and nationally. Beyond six Elements branches in Central Indiana, we provide access to more than 5,500 shared branch locations nationally and 78,000 surcharge-free ATMs globally. Elements is known for member value, offering higher deposit rates, lower loan rates, and fewer fees than local competitors. Federally Insured by the NCUA