by Erika Murillo on 2013-07-31
Members of Arrowhead Credit Union brought 175 jade plants—a hardy, evergreen succulent with thick jade-green leaves—to the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) on Tuesday, July 23.
Members of the Credit Union arrived at ARMC with their donation of plants at 8:30 a.m. and began transplanting them into one of the parking lot islands. The plant donation was meant to commemorate the launch of the Credit Union’s online banking and mobile application which launched two weeks earlier.
“As we started talking to [team members] about launching our new online banking and our mobile app, we knew it was going to take a long time and a lot of commitment from our team members,” said Emily Friesen, vice president of marketing for Arrowhead Credit Union.
Friesen insisted the plants were a sort of metaphor for the online banking and mobile app. “Just like it’s going to take some time and nurturing to make sure online banking is great,” Friesen compared the plants to the time and dedication it took to launch the banking app.
Once the online banking application was launched, the jade plants were also ready to be planted, said Friesen, who called ARMC and told them it was time to do so.
“We told them we have the perfect place, and we had just started this beautification project here at the hospital so it was perfect timing,” said Jorge Valencia, who is director of business development, marketing, and public relations for ARMC.
Though Arrowhead Credit Union has partnered with ARMC for many years, this was the first plant donation it has made to the hospital.
“The staff is amazing, they knew exactly what was going on, they came out and dug holes so we brought all our plants in, loaded them up this morning, brought them in, and the whole team was here,” added Friesen.
“We were thrilled that they thought of us [ARMC],” said Valencia.
“There are so many ways of giving back to the community and sometimes it’s with money and sometimes it’s with your own labor. We really like this notion of getting our hand dirty and in this particular instance, we literally got to get our hands dirty,” Friesen chuckled.
According to Valencia the plants will become larger in two to three months and they are excited to see it. The plants were spread evenly throughout the hospital’s parking lot islands in its Parking Lot 5, which is west of the medical center.
Friesen also can’t wait to see the fruit of the Credit Union’s labor.
“I’m excited to come back and see it. This is the first time Arrowhead Credit Union donated plants to the hospital,” she said.
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Arrowhead Credit Union to Donate 175 Plants to ARMC
COLTON – Representatives from Arrowhead Credit Union will be bringing 175 Jade plants to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) in a donation that signifies much more than a beautification project for the hospital. The donation ceremony is set for 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 23. The donation project was part of Arrowhead Credit Union’s campaign to launch its new mobile app (an application developed for hand-held devices) and online banking services, which kicked off on July 9. ARMC was chosen as the donation site because of its long-standing relationship with Arrowhead Credit Union and because it is considered a pillar of the community, said Emily Friesen, vice president of marketing for Arrowhead Credit Union, headquartered in the Inland Empire with 116,000 members and more than 250 employees.
“Giving back to our community is so important, so when we were getting ready to launch our new mobile app and online banking, we wanted to find a way to tie that in,” said Friesen. “We reached out to ARMC and told them we wanted a local organization to be able to benefit and they said they had the perfect place for a little garden.”
Arrowhead Credit Union’s campaign involved providing its employees in March with a small Jade plant, a hardy succulent with thick fleshy leaves that they could care for at their desks. “We gave team members a small plant as a symbol that growing something takes time, and told them that by the time the plant was big enough to plant somewhere else, our mobile app and online banking would be ready for our members,” said Friesen.
For ARMC, beautification efforts like this help to provide a more welcoming experience for patients and their families and visitors. “We are grateful to Arrowhead Credit Union for this donation,” said ARMC Associate Hospital Administrator, Professional Services, Johnson Gill, leader of the medical center’s beautification program initiated in May. “Donations like this from local businesses benefit our hospital by making the grounds more tranquil for our patients and their families.”
Though a frequent supporter of ARMC, this will be the first time that Arrowhead Credit Union has donated plants to the hospital. The 4-inch-tall plants will be spread evenly throughout the parking lot islands located within Parking Lot Five just west of the medical center. Several members of ARMC’s Administration and members of the County of San Bernardino Facilities Management Department will assist approximately 10 Arrowhead Credit Union representatives as they place the donated plants. An official commemoration plaque is planned for the site.