Light the Way Day
Philip Dickinson
We Created Love, Corbin to Fulfill Our Purpose in Our Communities
Phil Dickinson, VP, Advisory, participated in Corbin Advisors’ Light the Way Day, the firm’s inaugural company-wide day of service. Phil spent the day with other team members at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Charlotte, North Carolina.
A.J. Kowalski, VP, Talent Development and Love, Corbin Chair, and Julianna Meyer, Analyst, Marketing, sat down with Phil to learn more about his volunteer experience and his perspective on the day.
You recently participated in Corbin Advisors’ inaugural Light the Way Day. Talk to us about the organization you volunteered with and describe the initiative you were a part of that day.
During the morning, I participated in creating cards for Cards for Hospitalized Kids. In the afternoon, I volunteered with Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Charlotte, who offer great support for families of children who are hospitalized. There’s a small team of us in the Charlotte area – Jim Gorman, Mark Thompson, and I – that worked together to reach out and find what projects we could assist them with. They needed help supplying and building “to-go bags,” so we all went to the store to stock up on snacks and materials. Then we spent the afternoon assembling bags to be passed out to families.
What do you feel impacted you the most by participating with The Ronald McDonald House Charities?
It was really special to be able to drop off the bags we made in person. While we didn’t get to interact with the families, we were able to see the facilities and learn from one of the local volunteers. It was clear that the work we did mattered, and that there were people who benefited from our contribution. I really appreciated the flexibility to choose which organization I could volunteer with because I had the opportunity to pick something important to me.
Light the Way Day gives Corbin Advisors’ employees the ability to spend a day focusing their positive efforts on helping their local communities. What learnings do you feel you and your Charlotte area-based colleagues walked away with?
I learned how impactful it is to take time out of a workday to give back to our community. I was sitting at my office desk while I made cards for the children, and it hit me that this space I usually use for work I was also able to use to make a difference for those in need. Participating with Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Charlotte gave us a connection to an organization in our community and allowed us to see that real people were benefiting from our contributions. Throughout the day we could see and send live updates on Zoom, so even though I wasn’t in the office, the whole event felt very connected.
During this event, I saw the power of investing in our communities, which inspired me to keep the ball rolling in my volunteer commitments. I want to keep saying “yes” to serving those around me, so I have decided to be a Love, Corbin Champion for our upcoming National Alliance on Mental Illness walk. I’m excited to motivate our team and support a cause I believe in!
