What is Employee Engagement and Volunteerism?

• Employee Engagement and Volunteerism is a pillar of RWJBarnabas Health’s Social Impact and Community Investment practice.

Why is RWJBarnabas Health including this in its Social Impact practice?

• Employee Engagement and Volunteerism is an important part of RWJBarnabas Health’s mission. The aim is to galvanize employees across the system to address key social determinants of health issues, and enable them to engage more personally in service of community health and well-being.

What is RWJBarnabas Health’s MLK Week of Service?

• RWJBarnabas Health is spearheading a week of volunteerism events around Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the MLK Day of Service.
• From Tuesday, January 21, thru Friday, January 24, employees will have opportunities to participate in a wide range of volunteerism activities that have been coordinated in various regions of our service areas with numerous community partners.

What service opportunities are available?

• RWJBarnabas Health has partnered with Jersey Cares, a New Jersey-based non-profit that acts as our institution’s intermediary to enhance our volunteer efforts throughout the state.
• To ensure that as many employees as possible can participate, RWJBarnabas Health has scheduled events throughout the week, both on and off site where possible and during various hours of the day.
• To view the service opportunities and sign up, visit www.jerseycares.org/RWJBH-Service-Rallies.

How do employees participate?

• Employees seeking to participate in volunteer opportunities during their work hours must receive supervisor approval and may be required to use paid time off.

Do employees have to participate in their region/at their facility?

• Employees are not restricted to participating in events within their region or location.

Do I have to register to participate in a volunteer event?

• Walk-ins will not be accepted if an event fills up online. While we want to include as many volunteers as possible, Jersey Cares plans for the exact number of volunteers for which spots are open. However, the three volunteer opportunities being held at the Corporate Services locations – Corporate (West Orange), Campus Drive (Somerset) and System Business Office (Oceanport) – are for walk-ins and do not require registration.

Is there a fee when registering for a volunteer event?

• There is no fee to participate as a volunteer in any of the events. The website platform that is used by our partner, Jersey Cares, is programmed to indicate a cost but it has been set to a $0 charge default for all the RWJBarnabas Health projects.

What should employees wear to volunteer?

• All employees are encouraged to wear RWJBH apparel. Employees should dress appropriately for the activity, especially for off-site, hands-on activities. Connect with your site specific SICI lead for more information or email SICI@RWJBH.org.

What is MLK Day of Service?

• MLK Day was established to commemorate the timeless values that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. taught us through example, including – among other things – service.
• MLK Day was first celebrated in 1986 (having been established in 1983 by President Reagan). In 1994, Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act, designating the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service.
• The MLK Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service – a "day on, not a day off."
• King once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’“ RWJBH is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our communities and believes volunteerism is an important way to connect with and serve our communities.