Volunteer Appreciation: Euroclear Bank Makes a Difference in NYC
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April is National Volunteer Month, dedicated to honoring all the volunteers in our communities and encouraging people to volunteer throughout the month. S:US recognizes the importance of volunteering and honors the significant contributions that volunteers make by generously sharing their time and talents.
Our dedicated volunteers enhance S:US’ ability to serve individuals in a myriad of ways. In addition to the skills that they bring– from teaching small yoga classes in our residences or administrative support at our clinics to cooking in our shelters or gardening with Urban Farms – they build relationships and expand the support system and social circle that many of the people we serve need.
For Volunteer Appreciation Month, we spoke with Tatiana Dierckx, Senior Relationship Manager at Euroclear Bank. Tatiana has worked for Euroclear for 26 years. She enjoys working with her clients in North America and at a people-centric organization.
Tatiana heard about S:US through GrowNYC in 2017 and volunteered at the Earth Day community-wide volunteer day at an S:US supportive housing residence. After that event, Tatiana introduced us to Euroclear.
In 2019, Euroclear gave S:US a significant donation that helped transform one of our gardens at a supportive housing residence in Brooklyn. In addition to the funding, two teams of Euroclear volunteers broke down the old garden boxes and built a new pergola, sheds, and hoop house.
Euroclear volunteers move a greenhouse in the backyard of one of our supportive housing residences.
Tatiana and her colleague Joyce Thormann, Euroclear Chief Representative of the New York Office, attended the S:US Harvest Luncheon in September 2019. “Euroclear is pleased to support projects in local communities which enable those less privileged to acquire new skills and build confidence. The urban farmers project is a great example of such a community initiative as part of our Sustainability Strategy programme,” Joyce said at that event.
S:US Community Food Security VP Michael Hollis with Tatiana Dierckx and Joyce Thormann of Euroclear and former S:US CEO Donna Colonna at the 2019 Harvest Luncheon.
“We volunteer because we are part of the global society, and we want to make a social impact. It’s important for us to join the movement to fight against poverty and homelessness in New York,” said Tatiana. “We have a corporate program where every employee gets a minimum of eight hours of volunteer time per year and it’s a great way for people to engage in the community and put their skills to good use. We also organize events where we can do things together as a group to make it more accessible for our staff. We encourage them and give them ideas to engage with their communities.”
The Euroclear Group has more than 4,000 employees spread over 21 countries. Euroclear’s Environment/Social/Governance (ESG) is part of their corporate purpose, rooted in the conviction that acting responsibly is in the best long-term interests of the company and all its stakeholders, both internal and external. The company takes the UN Sustainable Development Goals as their guiding principles for addressing some of the most urgent social and environmental challenges. Euroclear makes a firm stance against modern slavery and human trafficking, advocates for gender pay parity, and works with their supply chain to encourage suppliers to meet their own ESG obligations.
During the first couple of years of the pandemic, Tatiana and her coworkers couldn’t volunteer because of COVID-19, but Euroclear continued to donate to S:US for COVID relief in 2020 and for Juneteenth in 2021. In 2021-2023, teams of Euroclear volunteers helped wrap gifts for the holidays. And in 2023, Euroclear joined our Corporate Partnership program.
“When we wrap gifts during the holidays for the people in your programs, it’s a fun activity that our team enjoys. When we volunteered at your gardens, we spoke to residents about how they use the garden and the vegetables that they harvest to eat. They told us that they enjoyed greeting visitors and thanked us for our time. We enjoyed working together with them to beautify their gardens,” said Tatiana. “Throughout our relationship with S:US, we have seen the results of the work that you do. The pandemic has aggravated a lot of the societal issues that we face – people are struggling with housing, food insecurity, mental health, etc.”
Volunteers from Euroclear wrap holiday gifts.
At S:US, we don’t empower people. We give people the tools to empower themselves. S:US works with more than 37,000 individuals and their families every year to create pathways to rich and productive lives by offering housing, employment, skills-building, treatment, and recovery services.
“What I appreciate with S:US is there is a holistic approach to what you do. You not only provide shelter or a home for someone, but you also equip the people in your programs with the tools and skills they need to find a job or improve their circumstances. Your Urban Farms program is not just about working in the gardens, it’s also about reskilling people, giving them independence, and making them feel good about the work they’re doing,” said Tatiana. “S:US meets people where they are and improves their lives by engaging them on a personal level. Whether it’s your anti-eviction program or skills development to get a job or a workshop on financial literacy or supporting the single mom at the Domestic Violence shelter and helping them get back on their feet, S:US provides many opportunities to the people they are helping. S:US is effective not just at providing basic services to people in need, you also help them feel good about themselves and give them hope for a better future.”
We appreciate the Euroclear team and all our volunteers!
For more information on how you can volunteer at S:US, please visit our Volunteer page or contact [email protected].