“Once you’ve been involved, you fall in love with it,” Andy says. He’s helped judge for seven years. Kenny Hall, State Farm employee, has been involved with Ohio SkillsUSA for 20 years and helps manage the collision repair and refinish programs.

“My first impression was ‘wow,’” he says. “Sometimes it’s hard to get people interested in volunteering, but a big percentage ask to be included the next year. They’re excited to see students interested in collision repair and refinishing. It’s a great way to give back and pay it forward.”

SkillsUSA is a national association serving middle school, high school and college students interested in careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations. The program prepares students with the skills of the trade they’re interested in, but it also equips them with personal skills such as professionalism, work ethic and integrity, and workplace skills such as communication, decision making and teamwork.

“It’s a career path, a gateway for them to get involved in the industry and align to future job opportunities,” Andy says. “We work to place the ones who make it through the program in jobs.”

Both Andy and Kenny came to State Farm from the repair industry and are proud to share with students a successful career path.

Andy was an estimator and assistant shop foreman in a collision repair shop and worked as a detailer, assistant service advisor and used car salesperson at a dealership before making the move to State Farm.

Kenny began his career in a collision body shop, working his way up before accepting an opportunity with State Farm to be an estimator. He still spends a lot of time at body shops inspecting and auditing the work.

“We have the same background as the students. It’s one of those proud moments to be in that environment again to give back to the kids,” Andy says.

Within the collision repair and refinish contest, students are tasked with repairing a dented fender or refinishing the side of car with welding, painting and masking work.

“It makes the students well-rounded for entry-level jobs in the industry,” Kenny says. “Being involved in SkillsUSA gives them a better look at the real world. They interview, take industry tests, provide estimates for the damage and do the refinish or repair work.

“Most of the students appear to have initiative and are self-starters,” Kenny adds of the SkillsUSA students. “I think those who get to that level have a love for the collision or refinishing side. If you really like doing that, you have a good work ethic and initiative, all of that makes them more employable.”

It’s the start of a new month. That means Andrea Taylor and her team are busy planning how to get their good neighborly giving fix.

They became addicted after the 2014 holiday season.

“I wanted to do a 12 days of giving program. But, things were just too busy to get organized,” the Gahanna, OH State Farm Agent recalls. “So I decided I was going to commit to a plan for the coming year. 12 Months of Giving was the result.”

Giving back is now a habit. Andrea’s State Farm team identifies needs in their community. They then decide the steps to take to help fill those needs. Each month a different organization in the Columbus suburb benefits from a donation or volunteer support.

“We want to connect with the community in ways other than insurance. We want to get to know our neighbors, and for them to get to know us,” Andrea explains.

Personal passions often play a role in deciding organizations and causes to support. Andrea loves fashion, and helping women enter the workforce is important to her. So, Dress for Success^® Columbus was one of the first organizations selected. In addition to donations, Andrea volunteers as a personal stylist for their clients.

"Andrea has such a caring demeanor with the women we serve in the community. Her positive, energetic personality is contagious,"  said Molly Preston, DFSC Contributions Coordinator. "We are thrilled she is part of the Dress for Success Columbus team!“

Whether it's sponsoring several Gahanna Residents in Need (GRIN) programs, or filling Caitlins’ Smiles gift bags for children with terminal illnesses, or leading free yoga classes to promote community well-being; each effort is a work of heart.

“One of our most memorable months was last April. We closed the office for a day. My entire team visited families at the Ronald McDonald House in Columbus,” says Andrea.

They arrived during lunch with footballs, stickers, coloring books and teddy bears.

“We introduced ourselves to the families and asked each child to pick some items,” says Andrea. “One little boy was having a rough day and he was crying. When I asked if he’d like a football, he pointed to a bear. He grabbed it, hugged it and stopped crying. Our eyes welled up with tears. We were so overcome with emotion.”

Sometimes 12 Months of Giving attracts attention without even trying. Like the time she was out shopping for items needed by GRIN.

“My cart was overflowing with pasta, and other needed items listed on GRIN’s website,” says Andrea. “When people asked, ‘Are you feeding an army?’ I said ‘Yes, I am!’ I then introduced myself and told them about 12 Months of Giving.”

Many people in the local community are now familiar with the program. It's even extended overseas.

This past September, Team Taylor gathered eight boxes of donated items. They were sent to 10 female service members in Afghanistan. One of Andrea’s team members included handcrafted cards in each box. Her hope was the women could send the cards to their families to help give peace of mind during their deployments.