Inside Interra Credit Union’s Do Well To Do Good Day
On October 12, 2026, 285 Interra Credit Union employees stepped away from their regular work to volunteer with 18 nonprofit organizations across Elkhart and surrounding communities. Together, they gave 1,150 hours of service in a single day.
The event is Do Well To Do Good Day, and it has been part of Interra’s culture since 2020. It began as a way for employees to come together around a shared purpose. “What started as a volunteer day has become one of the most meaningful traditions in our culture,” says Amanda Guzman, Interra’s marketing and community engagement specialist.
A Credit Union Founded to Help the Elkhart Community
Interra is a member-owned credit union founded in Goshen, Indiana, in 1932 as the Elkhart County Cooperative Farm Bureau Credit Union to give local farmers and workers a safe place to save and borrow money as traditional banks closed during the Great Depression. Today, it serves members through 20 locations throughout Indiana and Ohio, including an Interra Business Center serving St. Joseph County. The organization’s guiding principle is “People Helping People”. Do Well To Do Good Day extends this beyond the branches, with employees volunteering with the nonprofits that support their neighbors and community.
“The idea was simple: If we truly believe in helping communities thrive, we should dedicate time not only to financial services, but also to volunteering alongside the nonprofit organizations making a difference every day,” says Amanda.
What One Day Dedicated to Volunteering Can Accomplish
Employees spent the day on projects ranging from planting trees to building beds. Here is where they served and what they did.
• Sleep in Heavenly Peace: building beds for local children
• Girls on the Run: created bracelets for program participants
• Catsnip Etc: made blankets and catnip toys
• City of Elkhart Parks & Recreation: planted trees through the Trees for the Hart program
• First Light Mission: sorted and organized donated clothing and helped with building maintenance
• Council on Aging of Elkhart County: assembled gift bags, made inspirational cards, and tied fleece blankets for seniors
• Elkhart County Fairgrounds: painting and grounds cleanup
• GymTown Food Pantry: packing food boxes
• West Noble Food Pantry: painting
• Bashor Children’s Home: landscaping work
• The Hub: organizing, stocking shelves, and shopping alongside neighbors
• Blue Star Mothers: assembly of packages for deployed troops and sorting donated school supplies for military children
• Bread of Life Food Pantry: cleaning and organizing shelves
• Wawasee Area Conservancy: grounds cleanup
• Syracuse – Wawasee Trails – trail cleanup
• The Arc of LaGrange County Thrift Store – sorting and stocking
• The Hub Food Pantry – cleaning and organizing
• West Noble Food/Clothes Pantry – painting interior rooms
With this many projects to choose from, employees can decide how they want to spend the day. Some choose a cause they already care about. Others try something new. That choice gives employees a meaningful day, and it benefits the organizations they serve.
Why the Day Matters to Interra Employees
Interra employees live, work, and raise their families in Elkhart County and the surrounding areas. The kids sleeping in the new beds and the seniors receiving fleece blankets are their neighbors. When a nonprofit leader explains who a project will help, employees connect personally with that mission. “Employees often leave feeling energized, inspired, and even more connected to both the organizations they served and the communities they call home,” says Amanda.
Partner nonprofit organizations regularly tell Interra how much it means to have people invest their time and talents. Employees, in turn, come away with a deeper appreciation for those organizations and the people they serve.
It also brings together coworkers from different branches and departments who rarely cross paths, helping them get to know one another and building teamwork across the organization.
“It reminds us that our success is connected to the success of the communities we serve.” Amanda Guzman
How Acts of Service Helps Plan a Corporate Day of Service
Coordinating 285 volunteers across 18 locations takes careful planning. Interra has worked with Acts of Service on volunteer opportunities since 2018, and the partnership expanded when Interra launched Do Well To Do Good Day in 2020. Each year, Acts of Service Director Ashley Jordan works with Interra to identify nonprofits that need help and to line up projects where employees can make the greatest impact.
“Ashley Jordan from Acts of Service has been an important partner in helping Interra Credit Union connect with nonprofit organizations throughout our communities,” says Amanda.
Advice for Businesses Starting a Volunteer Program
“Strong communities are built when people invest in one another, and volunteering is one of the most meaningful ways to do that.” Amanda Guzman
For companies considering their own day of service, the Interra team’s first piece of advice is to start by listening. Build relationships with local nonprofits and ask where they need help most. In Interra’s experience, the benefits reach well beyond a single day, through stronger employee engagement, lasting community partnerships, and a culture of service that carries through the year.
The second piece of advice is to contact Acts of Service. “Their partnership truly contributed to the meaningful work at Do Well To Do Good Day.”
Businesses interested in exploring how they can give back through volunteerism can contact Ashley Jordan at [email protected].