Big Small Acts of Kindness: Rachel Baldacchino

A female student video chats with a male friend about a homework assignment. The female student examines a worksheet while talking with her friend.

Allstate Canada Group and its employees care deeply about the wellbeing of people and organizations across Canada, and we are proud to support them as they give back to their communities.

Although the current pandemic has not always allowed our employees to volunteer in a traditional manner, many have decided to get creative. These Big Small Acts of Kindness are examples of simple things that many people can do and might make a big impact for those in need. As an example, here is the story of one of our employees:

Name of Employee: Rachel Baldacchino
Job Title: Customer Communications Advisor
Number of Years at Allstate Canada Group of Companies: 15 years
Charity/Organization Supported: Pathways to Education

Photo of Allstate Employee Rachel Baldacchino

  1. Tell us the story of how you started working with Pathways to Education Canada. As a writer, communicator and parent, I’ve always wanted to help kids to hone their writing and critical thinking skills. So when I saw that ACG’s Community Giving platform offered a host of volunteering opportunities – including tutoring and mentoring youth – I jumped at the opportunity.
  2. Why are you passionate about this cause? I’m a passionate supporter of Pathways to Education which provides youth who live in low-income communities with the resources they need to graduate from high school and pursue a post-secondary education. I firmly believe that no child or young adult should be deprived of a good education or access to the resources to help them succeed and pursue higher levels of education just because of their address.
  3. What are you hoping to accomplish in 2021 with Pathways to Education Canada? My goal for 2021 is to be as encouraging and motivating as possible to the students and help them to realize and believe in their potential. Every child needs to know they have talents and gifts and they’re entitled to make their dreams and vision a reality. This quote by Rasheed Ogunlaru (a life and leadership coach) sums up how I feel about the importance of volunteer tutoring: “Only the foolish would think that wisdom is something to keep locked in a drawer. Only the fearful would feel empowerment is something best kept to oneself, or the few, and not shared with all.”
  4. What does volunteerism mean to you? To me volunteering is about having a meaningful connection to a community and helping youth to become more confident in their abilities. The thanks that I receive from these high school students is a blessing.
  5. How has your volunteerism adapted to COVID? Learning has become more difficult for teachers and students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of face-to-face learning, we’ve had to adapt to online learning. This has challenges because not everyone has the most up-to-date technology.
  6. What advice would you give to people looking to volunteer but don’t know how to get started? For anyone looking for volunteer opportunities, you’d be surprised at how many things can be done virtually: fundraising opportunities; writing notes to our veterans; creating inspirational messages to people suffering from abuse; grocery shopping and running errands for the elderly; and so much more. You can also think of something you’re passionate about and create your own opportunity!