At Borgata, our team members are more than just the friendly faces providing excellent customer experiences on the property. They play an active role in the community, providing countless hours of volunteer service at organizations that make a difference to South Jersey. Borgata is proud to share the stories of several of our all-star volunteers who go above and beyond to impact individuals and charities in the region. In fact, their volunteer hours have qualified them for a grant from MGM Resorts VolunteerREWARDS program!
Bill Barnes, Production Manager
Organization: B ill volunteers with CONTACT Cape-Atlantic. This organization provides telephone reassurance and community support for older adults, people with disabilities and those who are lonely, living alone or feeling isolated from their community.
Volunteer role: Bill makes weekly phone calls to CONTACT’s elderly clients.
Why volunteer with CONTACT: Bill feels it’s important to assist people in need. The elderly clients Bill calls share many interesting conversations and facts about their lives.
Dan Hamilton, Warehouse Attendant
Organization: Dan volunteers at the Scullville Volunteer Fire Department.
Volunteer Role: He is 26-year member of the fire department and is currently a lieutenant and a trustee.
Why: Dan likes ensuring that people and property in his community are safe. He also enjoys the opportunity to meet and build relationships with the people in his community.
Special Memory: For 20 years, the Fire Department members have created their annual “Terror in the Junkyard” fundraising event. It runs the entire month of October and includes a haunted hayride and walk-through maze. Dan not only volunteers a week of his personal time off from work to set up the hayride and design the maze, but also dresses up every night as a character in the Junkyard. He finds it rewarding to interact with the community and also scare them a bit, too!
Lisa Dejana-Grimm, Campaign Manager
Organization: Lisa enjoys volunteering with numerous non-profit organizations through Borgata.
Why: Not only does she find it personally rewarding to help out within the community, she truly enjoy participating in volunteer activities with fellow Borgata team members. Volunteering in group projects builds a special camaraderie and Lisa has met and built friendships with many team members she may not have had the opportunity to meet had they not volunteered.
Special Memory: Some favorite volunteer activities include: assisting special athletes at South Jersey Field of Dreams, sewing PPE masks and wrapping gifts for Boys & Girls Club, participating in the Dragon Boat Race to benefit Gilda’s Club, beach cleaning in Atlantic City on the Martin Luther King Day of Service and our annual Gift Basket Fundraiser.
Congetta Marino, Slot Service Associate
Organization: Congetta does most of her volunteering for the Jewish Family Service Center
Role: She volunteers for many different events for the JFS. To name a few: grocery assistance/ online grocery ordering; house tour fundraiser for the Village by The Shore; shopping for the food pantry and organizing it. At Borgata, she has also volunteered in many projects like the crocheting project creating lap blankets for the elderly. Before this, she never knew how to crochet, but with the help of her team members, she became a pro in no time. Congetta also made PPE masks for the Boys and Girls Club of AC. However, her favorite event was volunteering at the South Jersey Field of Dreams baseball games.
Why: Volunteering is important because it makes her feel joyful that she could make someone’s life a little better. It also keeps her humble and grateful. Volunteering has been a learning experience for Congetta in developing new skills, discovering new passions, and gaining new insights about herself and life around her.
Special Memory: A special story of Congetta’s volunteering experience would be at the Field of Dreams baseball games. The Field of Dreams gives physicality and mentality disabled children the opportunity to participate in a baseball game. It has inspired her to keep a positive outlook on life and that any kind of challenges are possible to overcome. She enjoyed getting to know the team players and their families.
Linda Johnson, Revenue Accounting Supervisor
Organization: Linda volunteers at her church, Bethany St John’s. There, she helps other organizations that are in need. Linda also helps Church by the Bay Absecon and Seasons of Giving, along with Adelaide’s Place in Atlantic City.
Role: In Linda’s case, it’s a team effort. Her fellow volunteers provide 50 home cooked meals once a month to those in need. They also collect and hand out clothing, create scarves, make roll out mats for the homeless in Atlantic City. At Borgata, Linda took part in several crocheting projects, including making scarves and lap blankets.
Why: Linda loves knowing that she was able to help someone in need.
Margie Simicich. Assistant Shift Manager, Slot Operations
Organization: Over the past few years, Margie has had opportunity to volunteer with a few different programs, but the one she works with the most is Toys for Tots of Burlington County.
Role: In 2020, Toys for Tots had to come up with creative ways to make money to buy toys because a lot of the businesses that usually donate were closed due to Covid-19. The biggest fundraiser Margie participated in was a “Suburban Full of Cheer” Raffle, where they sold tickets for $10, and the winner received 151 bottles of alcohol delivered to his or her house, all of which were donated by friends and family of the volunteers. Margie actually sold the winning ticket to one of her co-workers at Borgata! Once they got all of the toys donated/purchased, Margie spent hours at the Toys For Tots hub helping families pick out toys for their children.
Why is volunteering important to you? Margie just loves helping people!
Special Story: When she volunteers with Toys for Tots, Margie gets to see so many different parents throughout the 3 week event. She’s cried happy tears on many occasions because she knows Toys for Tots is truly helping families who wouldn’t otherwise have a holiday. This year, they helped 26,560 children have an amazing Christmas!
Queen Street, Loyalty Card Manager
Organization: Queen volunteers with the Community FoodBank, Southern Branch.
Role: She volunteers in the Pantry, stocking the shelves with food. Queen also helps clients with their shopping through the pantry area; each client has a volunteer assisting them with their shopping experience. Volunteering is important to her because she loves helping people.
Tim Stafford, Vice President of Relationship Marketing
Organization: Tim volunteers at CONTACT Cape-Atlantic.
Role: He does “out reach” to clients in need of safety checks and a friendly hello. Tim enjoys working for MGM who not only celebrates and rewards community involvement but encourages it.
Why: Tim enjoys volunteering with CONTACT and with other opportunities as they arise because donating time can be the most valuable donation you can make.
Special Story: Tim enjoys working with the clients at CONTACT because they have so many experiences to share and are so appreciative of the time spent to talk with them and listen. There are so many diverse personalities and Tim believes we can always learn from others’ experiences.
Candice Hentz, Customer Care Representative
Organization: Candice has pledged support for numerous charities since her youth. Three generations of her family where missionaries, including her mother. Candice has volunteered with National Cancer Society, Youth Advocacy Program and Camden Youth Wrestling in recent years.
Special Memory: Candice has opted to work from home as a remote representative since March of 2020 and made a point to stock up on donated and purchased yarn to contribute in Borgata’s crocheting projects in any way. It also helped to occupy her mind during the self-quarantine process. She took it upon herself to try to make as many crocheted yarn creations, even though they did not have a home yet. In fact, Candice made her little dining room a craft space and made approximately 18 warm scarves, hats, ear warmers and mittens with her fellow Borgata knitters, the Stitchies. When she saw that their creations where going to find a home for those who seek shelter and warmth at Adelaide’s Place In Atlantic City, she was excited.
Why: It warms Candice’s heart to know that someone has a warm hug wrapped around them, thanks to her knitted creations. She’s also thrilled to have an employer that encourages team members to partake in volunteer opportunities.
Mary Kisby, Valet Cashier
Organization: Mary isn’t associated with any one particular organization. Before her mother passed away, Mary worked with her to do volunteer work at her church. Also, Mary has participated in Borgata volunteer projects, like crocheting lap blankets for the elderly and sewing face masks for The Boys & Girls Club.
Role: Mary has helped feed the homeless and made lap blankets, baby blankets, and other items for craft sales. She also made lap blankets for nursing homes and rehab facilities.
Favorite Memory: Mary has made quilt tops for Quilts of Valor, and it gives her great joy whenever someone is given her handiwork. One time, she completed a Quilt and presented it to a veteran. It was her happiest moment. The veteran and his wife were so surprised.
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