Jon Meyer, V.P. of Sales, Nolan Painting, Inc., volunteers at the Reindeer Romp for American Cancer Society in Havertown, PA

Jon Meyer
V. P. of Sales
Nolan Painting, Inc.

Years with Company:
23 years

Where I’ve volunteered and why
I am passionate about being involved in the community where I work and live, and want to help others learn to do the same thing.

I grew up in a family that was involved in the community and in charities.  My father and grandfather were involved in Kiwanis, Boy Scouts of America, Big Brothers and Big Sisters — to name a few.  So you could say that for me, it’s a bit of a family tradition.

As a young adult out of college, I found a way to serve and help others.  As a past President and current member of Kiwanis International (a service club that helps local children), I knew I had to be involved. Formerly, I’ve been involved with the local area scout troops as a Den leader for many years.

Work/volunteer synergies
At Nolan Painting, one of our core values is community involvement. All of this falls under our “Nolan in the Neighborhood” structure of giving back to the communities where we work.  We’ve hosted an annual 5K called Reindeer Romp for 22 years to benefit the American Cancer Society.  We’ve raised $430,000 over the years and plan to keep it going. It’s a way for residents to see that our commitment extends beyond the professional services we offer. It also allows us to get to know our clients – and perhaps future clients – in an informal setting.

Nolan Painting supports hundreds of local charities and events yearly.  With small monetary donations and an active employee involvement and engagement program, we can spread out to help many. We do  local 5K’s, community concerts, festivals, fundraisers, school events — and the list goes on. We have committed to donate $1 million over a 10-year period to such charities, and we’re already close to half way there.

When new employees are hired, they are asked if they are able and willing to donate time in the communities where we work.  For every hour of time employees volunteer, they receive an hour of paid time off.

Nolan Painting has an online sign up portal that  lists the events that we have committed to, and it allows an employee to choose the event for which they want to sign up to help.  In that way, they can select events that appeal to them and that fit their availability. It’s also a way for employees to see the breadth of options available for volunteers.

Jon, at left, joins coworkers to volunteer at ‘Christmas in July meal’ for the American Cancer Society, Hope Lodge.

What volunteerism means to me
It’s rewarding to be part of the charities that are important to the company and to help those of our customers and in communities where we work.  I often hear from employees after their first time volunteering somewhere, saying, “That was a lot of fun. Can we do it again?”  It’s heartening to see that happen.