Together, we make a difference: Raymond James Cares Month 2022

Raymond James associates, advisors, family and friends volunteered more than 7,000 hours in the firm's 11th annual month of giving.

Our official month of giving

Each year, May is designated Raymond James Cares Month for associates and advisors across the firm to team up and give back to the communities where we live and work. 

In 2022, after two years of drive-through donation drives, virtual fundraising events and socially-distanced outdoor cleanups, more than 2,800 associates and advisors across the U.S., U.K. and Canada returned to largely in-person volunteering for our 11th annual month of giving. Volunteers served nearly 7,100 hours toward more than 230 charitable organizations, collectively serving and packing over 83,500 meals, donating nearly 41,600 pounds of food, and collecting nearly 20,900 household items for people in need. All told, more than 120,000 people across 110 communities benefitted from this year’s Raymond James Cares Month efforts.

Supporting children and families

This Raymond James Cares Month, volunteers supported more than 50 organizations focused primarily on serving young children and teens. 

“The Halcyon Pointe branch chose to support Mercy House and the Montgomery Cancer Center this Raymond James Cares Month,” said Client Service Associate Crystal Price. After collecting school supply donations for the organization, 16 associates, advisors and family members in Montgomery, Alabama spent the afternoon supporting Mercy House’s Reading with Grace and Mercy program for underprivileged students. 

“We read books with the kids, created get-well-soon cards for Montgomery Cancer Center patients and played outdoor games together,” said Price. “Each of our volunteers loved their time spent at Mercy House! I think the kids gave more to us than we gave to them.”

Just over 100 miles away, associates in Tuscaloosa, Alabama volunteered with SD Allen, an organization that builds furniture and beds for local children in need. Volunteers assembled bedframes for children and helped to furnish homes for families.

“There are many great organizations that provide food, clothing, shelter and monetary help for our neighbors in need,” said Client Service Associate Erica Nunn. “However, there aren’t many resources in our community for people who need something as simple as a bed to sleep on.”

And in its second year, Raymond James Ltd.’s RJ 5K for Kids fundraiser saw more than 300 associates, friends and family members in Canada raise more than $200,000 for Little Warriors and Drug Free Kids Canada.

“At Raymond James, we believe in supporting the causes that matter most to our advisors and associates,” said Raymond James Canada Foundation Executive Director Eric Saarvala. “This year, our volunteers were excited to participate in person and help charitable organizations close the gap on the rising demand for services and their struggle to deliver them.”

Fostering community development and co-worker connections

“As a new associate at Raymond James, organizing volunteer activities has been a great way for me to connect with people,” said South Florida Complex Administrative Manager Joseph Toth. Toth organized three opportunities for his colleagues to give back throughout May: A landscaping day with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami, a clothing and home goods drive benefiting the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation, and a volunteer clean-up event with Shake-a-Leg Miami, an organization that serves children and adults with disabilities through sailing and watersports. 

“Our beautification project with Shake-a-Leg was the most impactful for me,” Toth said. “Two of our Raymond James South Florida associates are personally connected to the cause – they each have children with disabilities who have benefitted greatly from the organization’s sailing program over the years. It was a great way for me to give back to my community and my colleagues.”

Fighting against food insecurity

Volunteers served and packed a record 83,511 meals in communities across the U.S., U.K. and Canada this year. From Atlanta to Denver to Toronto, associates spent more than 1,400 hours volunteering in food banks and other food-focused charitable organizations. 

“In one afternoon, our group of 18 associates was able to sort and pack more than 10,500 pounds of food for the Atlanta Community Food Bank,” said Atlanta Complex Administrative Manager Rachel Webster. “When it comes to giving back, we are enthusiastic and competitive. We can’t wait to recruit more Raymond James helpers to return to the food bank and beat our own record.”

“Denver associates come together to volunteer at Food Bank of the Rockies on a quarterly basis, and our recent Raymond James Cares Month opportunity saw broad support from across the Denver corporate office,” said Supervision Director Tiffany Gladieux. “20 of us collectively packed nearly 13,000 meals – all while reconnecting with one another in person. It was an incredible day.”

Stabilizing shorelines

Many volunteers took to their local beaches and parks to make an environmental impact, collecting a record 8,693 pounds of trash and working with organizations to help preserve shoreline areas – especially in Tampa Bay.

“Our team built 30 oyster reef balls for Tampa Bay Watch,” said Compliance Senior Manager Brandon Cooke. “Oyster reef balls stabilize shorelines to prevent erosion and create habitats similar to natural oyster communities found along Tampa Bay shorelines.”

“Every pound of trash removed by volunteers has a profound impact on our environment,” said AMS Research Senior Manager Mike Meleen, who organized a shoreline cleanup for his team with Keep Pinellas Beautiful. “The entire ecosystem benefits – from the ospreys to the sea turtles.” 

Raymond James is not affiliated with the above organizations.

Our total impact

Together, Raymond James associates across the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom made a difference in the communities where we live and work.*

• 242 teams comprised of 2,839 volunteers led community service projects in 110 local communities – including donation drives, beach cleanups, virtual fundraisers, food packing, card making, mentoring and more.
• Volunteers donated 7,081 hours toward 234 nonprofit organizations, benefitting more than 120,000 people.
• Associates raised more than $390,000 in monetary donations, collected 41,596 pounds of food, served and packed 83,511 meals, donated 20,877 non-perishable items, and cleaned up 8,693 pounds of trash. 

*All results are approximate.  

A history of giving

Since its inception in 2012, associated have donated more than 65,400 hours during Raymond James Cares Month.

Raymond James Cares Month 2021

In 2021, after more than a year working remotely, we took our generosity even further, increasing the amount of food collected, meals served and packed, and items donated by 87% year-over-year. We celebrated our 10th annual month of giving by serving 6,691 hours toward 250 charitable organizations, collectively serving and packing 58,294 meals, donating 80,343 pounds of food, and collecting 31,009 nonperishable items for people in need. Many associates used Raymond James Cares Month to connect with one another as they continued to work remotely.

Raymond James Cares Month 2020

Raymond James Cares Month 2020 was a celebration of our associates' and advisors' commitment to the communities in which we live and work. Our official month of giving was postponed to August and volunteering in 2020 looked different from past years. We held more small-group activities, virtual volunteerism, food and supply drives, and record-breaking fundraising campaigns. Associates and advisors collectively raised $283,000 to support local nonprofits from Tampa Bay to San Francisco Bay. The work continued in Canada and the United Kingdom with record-breaking funds raised to support those affected by COVID-19. We remained socially distant but the Raymond James culture persisted and creativity flourished. More than 2,200 volunteers donated 4,600+ hours toward 289 charitable organizations, ultimately helping 47,097 people. 

Raymond James Cares Month 2019

In order to join forces with Raymond James Ltd. in Canada and Raymond James Investment Services in the U.K., Raymond James Cares Month officially moved from August to May in 2019. Associates volunteered at animal shelters, served the hungry, packed meals at food banks, built homes through Habitat for Humanity and more. More than 3,300 volunteers donated over 10,400 hours toward 333 charitable organizations. 

Learn more about our giving story and Raymond James Cares programs throughout the year. 

Raymond James Cares

Together, we make a difference to build, strengthen and grow our communities. To learn more about the firm’s corporate philanthropy, click here.

To see how associates give back all year long, follow Raymond James on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.