Gail J. and her grand-daughter.

Gail J. works in VSP’s Human Resources department. She shares her experience as an employee volunteer at the recent 2010 Sacramento Black Expo, of which VSP was a major sponsor.

VSP made quite the impression at Black Expo 2010. We’ve participated in the past by having the standard booth and VSP volunteers on hand to share information about our company, more so from a job opportunity perspective. But this year, it felt different. With our VSP Mobile Clinic, SeeLia, as the backdrop of our booth, it was a thrill seeing the eyes of both children and adults as they approached us. Lots of “Wow! Look how big that thing is!” People were definitely drawn to VSP; and whether they wanted information about vision care, job opportunities, or simply to spin the prize wheel, they walked away with a true sense of the VSP experience.

While VSP made quite the impression to others, my volunteer experience left quite the impression on me. A lot of times, events such as these are basically an opportunity for people to walk by and grab the free giveaways. I didn’t get that sense this time at all. I may have chatted with at least a hundred people during my few hours of staffing the booth, but one person in particular stood out for me. I met an elderly gentleman who didn’t know anything about VSP and when I shared what we were doing at Black Expo (e.g. sharing eye health information, the Mobile Eyes program, job opportunities), he said he knew it was important to go to the doctor every year for a check-up, but he just didn’t have the money and he didn’t think the government was going to fix healthcare with all of their partisanship. I told him about our voucher program and to step inside the mobile clinic to learn more about the program. He emerged a few minutes later with a voucher and list of local VSP providers in hand. He had the biggest grin on his face and thanked me for making his day. I honestly believe the reverse was true … he made my day.

I always feel a sense of pride when I have the opportunity to represent VSP. And having the opportunity to volunteer at an event that combines two things that are of importance to me was a plus – my community (in general and specifically the African-American community) and where I work. [Of course, my family is THE most important thing in my life, but that goes without saying! ] But being able to share the VSP experience with the community was awesome! I met people who have VSP as their vision care insurance and asked me questions about their plans. Thank goodness there were volunteers from VSP’s Customer Service division to provide expert answers. I met kids who reminded me of my granddaughter Kayla in the way they asked a million questions about the Mobile Eyes clinic – “Do you drive this bus? Do you work in there? Do you live on it? Can we ride on it? How’d you guys get that thing in here?” and on and on and on. How fun that was! And last but not least, being in Human Resources, I loved hearing time after time as people approached, “VSP! You guys are one of the best companies to work for!” Even though VSP is technically not on the FORTUNE “100 Best” list this year, we remain “best” in the hearts and minds of many.