The Power of Caring

Family and togetherness are powerful forces. Tara and Chris knew family and spending time together were important when Chris’ dad fell ill – his main wish was to spend time with family and be together. Their family would get together every Sunday, but one fateful day, Tara and Chris truly realized how important support and togetherness really were.

On their way to Chris’ parents’ house, Tara and Chris were in a head-on collision. Chris managed to swerve just enough to protect Tara from severe injury, but in doing so, Chris broke almost everything in his body. While Tara was able to walk away with only a hurt back, Chris needed about 10-11 months to recover from all of his injuries.

During his recovery time, Tara’s friends and coworkers at Southside Bank showed how much they cared about her family and would rally together to support a fellow coworker. One of Tara’s friends who worked in IT started a meal train to bring them meals, and someone was always calling to check in on them. Even when Tara had to miss work to go to a doctor’s appointment, her coworkers were supportive and told her to do what she needed to do.

This kindness inspired Tara to train and become a Court Appointed Special Advocate for abused or neglected children since some of her friends at the bank had gotten involved with that organization.

Tara’s involvement in the community prompted Southside to encourage all their employees to get more involved in the community. Now, they allot hours for employees to volunteer so employees can do things that are important to them as individuals. Because of the efforts of her coworkers and Southside’s investment in its employees, Tara feels valued as an employee since they are encouraged to pursue their interests as individuals.