On October 14, employees from Farmers of Salem and Salem Risk Associates traded their desks for a day in the gardens, joining the Brandywine Valley CPCU Society Chapter for a volunteer day at Longwood Gardens. Together, they helped Longwood staff clear flowers and plants to make room for spring bulbs.
The crew braved all three: bees, rain, and worms. The day brought a little mud, plenty of laughs, and a chance to spend time with fellow insurance professionals beyond the usual work setting.
“My favorite part of the day was working alongside my coworkers, cracking jokes, and taking in how beautiful Longwood Gardens is,” said Kylie Sieber. “Seeing how much hard work the staff puts into keeping the gardens so beautiful made it feel especially rewarding to lend a hand. It felt good to be there and help them with that work. Another funny highlight was realizing how dirty my shirt had gotten while working—especially compared to how clean everyone else’s shirts still were!”
For Brianna Fugarino, the bees made the biggest impression. “Definitely the bees! I tried to hide my inner panic attack all day as best as I could, LOL.” She also appreciated the chance to connect with colleagues. “I enjoyed being able to spend time with and connect with coworkers that I typically don’t get time to talk to much around the office!”
Lauren Durham said she was surprised to learn how many volunteers help maintain Longwood Gardens and create its displays. “Prior to having this volunteer opportunity, I had no idea that so many volunteers helped to maintain the gardens and create the beautiful displays we see as visitors! The volunteer coordinator was telling us that there are hundreds of volunteers annually to assist the staff. We were all surprised and equally horrified to find out we would be ripping out gorgeous flower beds that were all in bloom still. It was interesting to learn the behind-the-scenes work, and that those displays are fertilized and don’t go to waste while we cleared the space for the next display to be planted.”
“Overall, it was a very fulfilling experience and I am so grateful that FOS gives us the opportunity to give back in ways like this!” Lauren added.
Desiree Mason enjoyed seeing insurance professionals from different companies and generations come together. “My favorite part of this experience was watching insurance professionals of different ages and from different companies come together, away from our desks, to roll up our sleeves and get dirty. Nobody complained once, except maybe me about the ridiculous number of worms... No one wanted to leave when it rained or when it got hot and we were sweaty and dirty and gross. We were all in... laughing and enjoying each other's company as we did our best to help the Longwood Gardens staff.”
At Farmers of Salem and Salem Risk Associates, we appreciate opportunities to give back and build connections through shared experiences. Each employee is offered eight hours of paid time off to volunteer with an organization of their choice. We’re grateful to Desiree Mason, Lauren Durham, Kylie Sieber, and Brianna Fugarino for sharing their time and energy to help prepare the gardens for the season ahead.
Thank you to the Longwood Gardens team for welcoming our volunteers and to the Brandywine Valley CPCU Society Chapter for bringing everyone together. We look forward to seeing the spring blooms and knowing our team played a small part in helping them grow.