DUBUQUE, Iowa– To mark  National Volunteer Week, Dupaco Credit Union has offered an overview of all of the effects it said it and its employees have had on the community.

Logging 6,187 volunteer hours in 2024, Dupaco Community CU said its employees are “choosing to make life better for others, by helping build homes, teach in classrooms, plant trees, clean up parks, donate blood, develop their communities, prepare healthy meals and much more.”

“It feels good to get out in our community and use my skills to help other people and organizations who may not have the resources,” Branch Manager Spencer Smith said in a statement. “In my own small way, I’m serving a need for our community, I’m happy I get the opportunity to provide the help I can.” said in a statement.

Smith chooses to help with the local economic development corporation in Peosta, Iowa. 

Employee Efforts

In 2024 alone: 

• Dupaco’s 602 employees volunteered a total of 6,187 hours. 
• Dupaco employees served on 170 nonprofit boards and committees 
• 256 Dupaco employees used a paid benefit in 2024 called Volunteer Time Off (or VTO), allowing them to take time off during the workday to lend a helping hand and volunteer in their community at an organization of their choice. 

The Benefits

The credit union said the “feel-good feeling”  mentioned by Smith is real, according to data from Mayoclinic.com. According to their studies, people who volunteer experience these benefits: 

• Improved physical and mental health — Volunteer activities keep people moving and thinking at the same time. Research also shows volunteering leads to lower rates of depression and anxiety. 
• Less stress and more positive/relaxed feelings – The release of the hormone dopamine contributes to feelings of lower stress. By spending time in service to others, volunteers report feeling a sense of meaning and appreciation, both given and received, which can have a stress-reducing effect. 
• Nurture new and existing relationships — Volunteering increases social interaction and helps build a support system based on common interests. 

‘Lasting Impact’

Michelle Becwar, community and social impact manager, has spent the last 11 years of her career at Dupaco focusing on how the financial cooperative can create and foster community partnerships that benefit people inside and outside the organization, the credit union said.

“Whether it’s through volunteer time off or by supporting nonprofits that help improve our communities, we’re working together to create a lasting impact and helping build strong communities,” Becwar said in a statement.

‘Powerful Sense of Satisfaction’

Spencer added that being part of an organization like Dupaco cultivates a powerful sense of satisfaction for his co-workers. “When we work together, whether it’s in the office or in the community, we’re helping fulfill our mission for a brighter community for all. It benefits us too. We know it makes us feel better, more connected with our peers and communities, and we have a greater sense of wellbeing. These are definitely reasons why I love working at Dupaco.”