A growing number of companies are recognizing the importance of corporate social responsibility, and Renaissance Financial is fully on board. Their mission in the community is to ignite positive social change, and they even provide their staff with paid time off to volunteer.
When Evan McGinnis, vice president of advisor development, was asked to find a group volunteer activity for his team, he was ready with an opportunity.
“I knew I wanted to go to Ranken Jordan,” he said. Evan and his wife, Katie, bring their son, Ronan, to the hospital for outpatient therapy. Ronan has seen specialists across the area searching for understanding of why he is delayed in meeting the standard developmental milestones, such as sitting up, crawling, and rolling over. His diagnosis is still a mystery. He participates in speech, occupational, physical, and aquatic therapy at Ranken Jordan.
The McGinnis family has felt a level of support and coordination they had not found elsewhere, and they are seeing Ronan make steady progress toward meeting his developmental goals. “Ronan has spent so much time in hospitals,” says Evan. “While we don’t have a clear roadmap, Katie and I were impressed at the team approach at Ranken Jordan. We see all the therapists working together in the pool, with new equipment, or with toys. They find things that motivate Ronan, and they incorporate them into his therapy.”
Play is a core value at Ranken Jordan, and it paired perfectly with the Olympic Party that Evan and Renaissance Financial hosted for the patients. In July, at the start of the Paris 2024 Olympics, more than two dozen employees from Renaissance Financial came to Ranken Jordan and set up games and activities for the patients so they could celebrate with the rest of the world. They crafted their own Olympic flags, played adaptive games, and completed a ring toss onto inflatable torches.
“Our company encourages us to spend time in the community and give back, and this was such a natural fit,” says Evan. “This hands-on volunteer opportunity helped our employees and interns get to know what Ranken Jordan is all about, creating opportunities for patients to play!”
Evan has participated in the hospital’s annual golf tournament for years, and he joined the Friends of Ranken Jordan group last year. Since then, he and Katie hosted a Party with a Purpose to introduce their colleagues, friends, and family to Ranken Jordan, which raised more than $50,000 for the hospital!
“It is wonderful to see a company so passionate about developing meaningful connections in their community and really giving back,” says Nellie LaVigne, major gifts officer at Ranken Jordan. “The McGinnis family is an outstanding example of philanthropy. To see their personal support for the hospital that has cared for their son amplified by the corporate commitment of Renaissance Financial is so inspiring and exciting for Ranken Jordan and for the St. Louis community.”
