Irma says go volunteer!

Meet Irma Burger: Wife, mother, grandmother, U.S. Army veteran, Solutions Specialist and now, our latest Credo Award winner!

Hans Vestberg recognized Irma for her passion and commitment to helping those in their time of need during the 2Q 2020 Webcast on Up To Speed Live.

Take a look at what her customers had to say of her work in one of our Columbia, SC, retail locations

• "Irma took the time and explained her prices versus T-Mobile. She educated me on promos and how they could benefit my family. Not only did she get us new phones, but she offered us a buy one get one free phone to offset monthly cost. I had no intentions of getting all that I did, but she made it worth it. She also got us protection for our cars."

Whether it be writing a letter to thank deployed troops and veterans for their service to our country or thanking healthcare workers on the frontlines supporting COVID-19 patients, Irma has close to 300 volunteering hours in the system so far this year -- the most of any V Teamer.

And, she’s encouraging all of you to sign up for volunteering activities now. Just go to www.verizon.com/volunteer. Here are some exciting new volunteering opportunities just to get you started.

• GirlTrek (For Verizon employees, Verizon Media employees) - Take a walk through Black history together celebrating our powerful foremothers. Sign up for this special #daughtersofwalking challenge and listen to an inspiring Black history story from the GirlTrek website while you take a walk. GirlTrek is always open to everyone.
• The Freedmen’s Bureau Project (For Verizon employees, Verizon Media employees) - The National Museum of African American History and Culture has collaborated with the Smithsonian Transcription Center to transcribe more than 1.5 million image files from the Freedmen’s Bureau records. The Transcription Center is a platform where digital volunteers can transcribe and review transcriptions of Smithsonian collections. Transcribing these original documents will increase our understanding of the post-Civil War era and our knowledge of post-Emancipation family life.
• Penguin Watch (For Verizon employees, Verizon Media employees) - Seabirds are declining worldwide; under threat from climate change, pollution, disturbance and competition with fisheries. Volunteers will tag and sort hundreds of thousands of satellite images in a penguin's habitat so we can better understand the environment of the species, understand threats to their habitat and reverse them through informing policy changes where we can.
• MapSwipe (For Verizon employees, Verizon Media employees) - Each year, disasters around the world kill nearly 100,000 and affect or displace 200 million people. Many of the places where these disasters occur are literally 'missing' from any map and first responders lack the information to make valuable decisions regarding relief efforts. Missing Maps is an open, collaborative project in which you can help to tag satellite images and map areas where humanitarian organisations are trying to meet the needs of vulnerable people.
• Connect with Elders Internationally (For Verizon employees, Verizon Media employees) - Through this volunteer event, employees will create inspirational handwritten letters to mail to senior facilities.Your letter may be sent to a senior in the United States, Canada, Mexico, UAE, India, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, UK, Spain, or perhaps another country!

So what are you waiting for? Help Verizon reach our company-wide goal of 2.5 million volunteering hours by 2025 and represent Citizen Verizon!

​​V Teamers, click here to join the conversation on VZWeb.