By: Lorrie Leonhardt
As a staff member of NCACPA, we receive an allotted number of hours for community service each year. Along with three others, we decided to volunteer at Habitat for Humanity of Wake County. We met at a local Bojangles (we needed fuel, after all) and carpooled to the home site in southeastern Raleigh.
We arrived and joined a group of 70 individuals, and waited for our assignment. A large group from Cisco was there, and the remaining volunteers represented other organizations. Those company names were called out, and naturally, we were asked what ‘NCACPA’ stood for. We responded in unison, “The North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants,” and quickly got the attention of Habitat’s Volunteer Coordinator.
Here’s the awesome part…
She looked at us with wide-eyes and said, “Did you know that CPAs volunteer on a day in September? I actually didn’t have enough volunteer slots for the interest I received last year.” Naturally, we are extremely familiar with the CPA Day of Service, and as luck would have it, one of the lead Day of Service planners, Hannah McCain, was with me. The Habitat rep went on to describe how impressed she was with CPAs’ desire to give back to their community.
As staff members, we also stood there impressed. In two short years, the CPA Day of Service is known by charitable organizations. In two short years, the incredible service of 2,200+ members has created a “buzz” surrounding volunteerism within the profession. This truly speaks to the impact that YOU, our dedicated members, have made in two years.
We’d like to thank every single volunteer for their work in making this incredibly fulfilling moment possible for the four staff members there. I can assure you that we could not have been prouder to be representing North Carolina’s CPAs.
So mark your calendar for September 19, 2014—I can’t wait to see the outcome of this year’s Day of Service!
Lorrie Leonhardt serves as the Director of Communications for the North Carolina Association of CPAs, which she joined in 2003. She oversees the association’s marketing and communications initiatives. A member of AENC and ASAE, Lorrie recently received her IOM certificate from the US Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Organization Management. She received a BA in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is an avid Tar Heel fan!