Giving back to the community has always been important to Ryan and his family. In August 2011, this lead to supporting relief efforts for those impacted by a Tornado in the Goderich area.
Ryan Michalczuk (far right) with his wife Joli and daughters Lyla and Ryli (far left) and Khrista Kolkman, Salvation Army coordinator.
"My family has spent a lot of vacation time in that area and we just thought why not ask our friends, family and co-workers to donate supplies and we could coordinate the efforts and drive them up there," said Ryan.
With the support of senior leadership Ryan deployed an email to approximately 300 of his co-workers and very quickly had an entire truck load of non-perishable items, cleaning supplies, and some cash donations to take to a Salvation Army drop of point in Goderich.
"The response from my fellow employees was very positive. Everyone was thanking me for taking time out to organize this and make the 300 kilometre trip to Goderich. For my family, we didn't care about the work, it was just the right thing to do," said Ryan.
"When you work for an organization like CIBC it's amazing how quickly volunteer efforts can pull together and all of a sudden this idea comes to life in a way that's really impactful on a community in-need."
On August 22, 2011, upon hearing about the tornado, CIBC immediately donated $20,000 to help with the relief efforts.
For several years, Ryan and his family have participated in an annual food giveaway for low income families in the Windsor Area.
Ryan has also been involved as a lead sponsor for the annual Savour the Sea Gala that raises funds for the Hospice of Windsor and Essex County.
