Exploring Community Service with DECA's Partners

For DECA members, getting involved in community service can lead to personal and professional growth while building a deeper connection within their community. However, it can be challenging to discover how to get involved and align community service with your career goals.

In this article, three of our valued partners answer questions about the importance of community service and the impact on their lives, both professionally and personally. Read on to learn more about Craig with Chick-fil-A, Tawny with MDA and Tawni with NPCF.

Craig Phillips is the Owner-Operator of Chick-fil-A at Wells Road in Orange Park, FL, where he serves the greater Orange Park community. He has been with Chick-fil-A for over 15 years and has had the opportunity to mentor and coach countless team members.

Tawny Saunders is the Director of National Service Partners for MDA. She started in the role at the beginning of 2024 but has been with MDA since 2016. She works with DECA chapters across the country and helps members connect to MDA’s mission. She is originally from Colorado but now resides in Kansas City with her family.

Tawni Morrison was born and raised in Idaho, where she earned her bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of Idaho. A year in Southeast Asia ignited her passion for nonprofit work and community service, prompting her to pursue a career in this field. After exploring various jobs back in Idaho, she moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. When she discovered the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, she knew it was the right fit. Today, she proudly contributes to an organization that makes a meaningful impact in society.

1. What are some of the benefits of getting involved in community service?

• Craig with Chick-fil-A: This plays very well with our shared vision, “To be the world's most caring company." For us locally, the benefits are aligned with our strategy of delivering on our mission to be a beacon of light in Orange Park. Our strategy is to help with Food Insecurity and Community Leadership in Schools.
• Tawny with MDA: Community service is both fun and rewarding! It’s a great way to give back to your community and gain a new perspective on life. It can strengthen your connection to the community, create new relationships, develop important life skills and change your mindset. There are so many positive benefits to getting involved!
• Tawni with NPCF: Getting involved in community service, especially in high school, is very important. It looks amazing on college applications and allows you to network with peers and gain valuable skills such as leadership, teamwork, communication and problem-solving.
  

2. How has your experience with community service impacted your outlook on your community or life in general?

• Craig with Chick-fil-A: Often, service to others who need it most is an actionable way to explain your mission/why. My “Why” is to attempt Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine among men so they can see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
• Tawny with MDA: I was raised in a family that valued community service. From a young age, I was giving back to my local community, which always made me feel connected and grateful for what I had. Looking back, I appreciate the opportunities to serve and carry that with me into adulthood. In college, I served on the philanthropy committee of my sorority, which led to getting more involved with nonprofits. I decided I wanted to intern with a nonprofit, and that’s why I am at MDA today. It made me realize I was passionate about giving back and wanted a career. Fast-forward 13 years later, and I am still in the not-for-profit sector. I have always craved community connection, and community service has helped me feel connected to the people and places in my community. ‍
• Tawni with NPCF: My experience with community service has been extremely influential to the person I am today. I volunteered with multiple nonprofit organizations in high school, so I pursued a career in this industry. I met so many amazing people, and I saw how working for a company with a powerful mission can make your job so much more fulfilling. I also saw different places and cultures through volunteer work, which gave me a broader perspective on life.
  

3. What role should businesses and organizations play in promoting or supporting community service?

• Craig with Chick-fil-A: Stewardship is a big part of who Chick-fil-A is. We often have the largest number of restaurants in our communities. The stewardship of that responsibility is to be involved in actionable ways outside the restaurant’s walls and in your community. Our business mission in Orange Park is to be a Beacon of Light. Our approach to delivering on this mission is 2 steps. The first step is being a Beacon of Light inside the store…this is team member facing. We have a comprehensive Talent Development Strategy, which all of our Leaders participate in where they learn how to create goals for themselves, and all have written Individual Development Plans. The focus on these IDP’s is to establish their “why” which will help sustain them through the ups and downs of life. The next step is to be a Beacon of Light outside the restaurant in Orange Park. We have helped create a funded and county-led community revitalization project, and we have worked with Shared Table to help with food insecurity. We have served in these community capacities for over 10 years, so now it’s easier to promote these causes due to our familiarity.
• Tawny with MDA: I think community service is extremely important to promote. It shows that a business/organization cares about the community they serve. A lot of places now give employees paid volunteer time off. I think that’s fantastic and truly shows they support their people getting out to serve the community. It can also create meaningful team building if a group does a community service project together. It allows people to come together and do something amazing that can have a lasting impact, build confidence and even improve mental health.
• Tawni with NPCF: Businesses and organizations are crucial in promoting and supporting community service. Consumers have a significantly more positive image of a company when said company supports a social or environmental issue. Additionally, research shows that employees find their jobs more fulfilling when they are provided opportunities to make a positive impact at work. Supporting community service is good for inside company culture, increasing revenue and helping raise awareness for whatever cause they support.
  

4. How do you encourage your own team members to participate individually or with the company in community service opportunities?

• Craig with Chick-fil-A: Many of our team members have come through Chick-fil-A Leader Academy over the last decade. That program is important because it has a community volunteer aspect to it. Remarkable Futures Scholarship has a community service component to it as well. Our longstanding history with these programs is the system we have for ensuring that our team is serving in our community.
• Tawny with MDA: MDA encourages staff to volunteer at MDA summer camp or MDA events. Volunteers are a key part of our mission, and we are “one MDA.” Even if you are not on the mission side of MDA, they encourage all employees to get out and meet MDA families to form relationships with the people we are helping live long, more independent lives. Any staff member who attends an MDA summer camp will tell you it’s a magical place.
• Tawni with NPCF: Since NPCF is a nonprofit, we are extremely supportive of our employees’ participation in community service, whether that be our events or outside ones. We encourage all employees to attend all inside events and help in any way that they can, and usually, everyone jumps at the opportunity. We also support local nonprofits and constantly have employees attend outside events to help make their fundraisers successful.
  

5. What advice would you give someone who is interested in volunteering but doesn’t know where to start?

• Craig with Chick-fil-A: Advice to rally others around service in their community varies from community to community. I would encourage others to do a simple SWOT analysis to determine the community’s greatest need. For our community, the greatest opportunity is with our Title 1 Schools and food insecurity in general. As business leaders, it is important for us to know a community’s priorities and then be able to direct others’ willingness to serve those priorities. Our galvanizing voice needs to be around sharing the “why’s” of the opportunity. It’s important for us leaders to establish the “why,” especially if we have people willing to serve but unfamiliar with the need. Often, we find that the food banks are operated by volunteers who need encouragement and help.
• Tawny with MDA: Don’t be intimidated. You can volunteer in a small or big way. Whatever your comfort level is, I promise there is a need for you! Volunteers are so important and can make a huge impact. You can start small and work your way to larger volunteer opportunities. I would encourage anyone wanting to volunteer to check out the website, view available opportunities and reach out if they have any questions. You will get the training you need to be successful and have the best volunteer experience.
• Tawni with NPCF: If you are looking into volunteering but don’t know where to start, I would think about different career paths you want to take in the future and try as many as possible! Whether it’s animals, the environment, health or social justice, there is such a wide variety of places that would love to have volunteers. You may not like everything you try, but it’s important to keep an open mind because sometimes the best experiences come from opportunities you may have never considered. Local community centers, businesses, nonprofits and schools almost always need help.
  

6. How can DECA members get involved with your organization’s community service efforts?

• Craig with Chick-fil-A: Food Insecurity and Homelessness are big topics that low-hanging fruit offers service to. Once some of those needs are met, we start to work up Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs by focusing on developing those people to be the best versions of themselves.
• Tawny with MDA: MDA is extremely grateful and proud of the over 40-year partnership we have had with DECA. I love working with DECA chapters across the county and am always available to assist and help a DECA member get involved! MDA is a national nonprofit that allows any member to get involved. We have a website dedicated to DECA. Members can connect with us, sign up for Cause Raising, order pinups to sell at school stores, learn more about DIY fundraising, get connected to volunteer opportunities and learn about MDA’s impact on their community. DECA Members can also participate in the Disability is Diversity Challenge. We have so many ways to get involved! Please reach out to me at studentservices@mdausa.org or call 312-525-8396. I would love to chat more!
• Tawni with NPCF: NPCF has a program called Students Fund the Cure, which is a great way to get involved in fundraising and community service within our organization. Students Fund the Cure provides a platform for students to create their own Team to raise awareness and funds for the NPCF at individual schools and college campuses, as well as giving opportunities for teams to be created with businesses throughout communities around the country. Our Social Impact Leader of Tomorrow Challenge with DECA is a way for you to do this and win some money to go towards DECA’s ICDC in Orlando! Additionally, we are constantly looking for volunteers to help with our nationwide events. Go to our website and see if we have any events happening in your area, then give us a call and we can get you all set up.