More than 16,500 volunteers from all regions of Spain have participated in the second edition of CaixaBank's 'Social Month', an initiative meant to bring closer and encourage volunteering among the bank's employees and their families, customers and society at large.
The 2,749 acts of solidarity carried out in Spain, focused on accompaniment, education, the environment, digitalisation, culture and sport, have had a positive impact on the lives of more than 117,000 people in vulnerable situations.
The organising of these activities has been possible thanks to collaborating with 998 local social entities. Thus, another one of the objectives of the 'Social Month' has been to highlight the vital work carried out by these associations, which are aware of the needs of each municipality and region.
During this edition, the number of volunteers has grown by more than 3,000 since 'Social Month' 2023, demonstrating a great acceptance from society and the spirit of collaboration and solidarity that characterises citizens from all corners of Spain.
"We're very proud of the numbers participating in this edition of 'Social Month' as they are the highest since we began this journey in 2015 with 'Social Week' which, due to its success, was extended to a whole month last year", highlighted CaixaBank’s Director of Social Action and president of the Association of CaixaBank Volunteers, Josep Parareda.
"This edition has broken all the moulds in terms of participation from the entire organisation, both CaixaBank Group companies and employees, who, in two years, have doubled their participation in the team building activities carried out with collaborating social entities. The most important thing is the increase in the number of beneficiaries we have reached with the 'Social Month', which give meaning to this initiative", Parareda pointed out.
“Thanks to this initiative, CaixaBank Volunteering now has more than 3,000 new volunteers, 92% of whom are Group employees. In addition, more than 1,300 people who do not belong to our organisation have joined the cause this year, making it clear that CaixaBank Volunteering is a programme open to anyone who wants to participate and contribute to building a better society," Parareda concluded.
Through this initiative, citizens have been able to see first-hand the realities faced by people in situations of vulnerability, becoming aware of realities close to us and seeing the important work carried out by social entities to improve the lives of these groups.
Solidarity is extended through all regions of Spain
One of the fields of action for CaixaBank Volunteers is accompanying people with disabilities. To assist these groups, volunteers in Logroño held a cooking workshop with visually impaired people from the Cocinar a Ciegas Association, helping them to prepare creative dishes. Also, CaixaBank volunteers in Galicia gave a workshop to members of Down Pontevedra on how to prepare for a job interview, and in the Community of Madrid, volunteers accompanied people with disabilities from the APASCOVI Foundation to enjoy a day of fun at the Warner Park.
In terms of education, one of the initiatives with the greatest impact was carried out in Molina de Segura (Murcia), where volunteers participated in a workshop on 'Accompaniment in reading' with young people in vulnerable situations from the CEPAIM Foundation, a non-profit organisation that promotes the inclusion of newcomers to our country. In addition to transmitting their passion for literature, during the meeting, the children shared their hopes and wishes with the volunteers.
Sport brings cohesion, integration and helps promote the value of teamwork. In order to bring the benefits of sport closer to all, CaixaBank volunteers in Valencia organised, together with Asindown, a day of inclusive sport, and in Cadiz citizens took part in a football match with the Genuine Cadiz C.F. team, made up of people with functional diversity. In Badajoz, participants took part in a canoeing event with young people at risk of social exclusion from seven local social entities.
A large number of activities focused on environmental conservation have also been carried out. One of the most emotional initiatives took place in the Balearic Islands, where volunteers in Mallorca accompanied children with cystic fibrosis from the Fundació Respiralia on an activity aimed at preserving and regenerating the environment of Es Carnatge beach. Volunteers in Gran Canaria, in collaboration with the Foresta Foundation, took a route along a path in the Finca de Osorio (Doramas Natural Park), during which they contributed to collecting waste and irrigating this natural enclave, and in Ibeas de Juarros (Burgos), CaixaBank volunteers in Castilla y Leon took part in a biodiversity workshop with the support of Global Nature.
According to the Living Conditions Survey published by the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE), 26.5% of Spaniards are at risk of poverty. For this reason, and in order to alleviate its effects, CaixaBank Volunteering coordinated various initiatives in different regions during this 'Social Month'. In San Sebastian, volunteers took part in organising and serving meals to people in vulnerable situations at the Adra Foundation. In Barcelona, citizens got involved in the soup kitchen of the Santa Anna Parish, offering food and support to homeless people.
Overall impact
In addition to having a positive impact on the lives of people in vulnerable situations, 'Social Month' aims to bring the practice of volunteering closer to everyone, offering activities that adapt to the interests and schedules of citizens. The initiative also consolidates the relationship between CaixaBank Volunteering and local social entities.
In the coming months, CaixaBank Volunteering will continue to organise activities to help the most vulnerable groups during the summer period, when help is essential. Anyone interested in solidarity can join the CaixaBank Volunteering initiatives at https://www.voluntariadocaixabank.org/ and via Instagram, X, Facebook and LinkedIn.
CaixaBank Volunteering
CaixaBank Volunteering is one of the largest volunteering initiatives in Spain and its aim is to bring the practice of solidarity to all citizens. With 19 years of experience, the association is made up of employees and former employees of the CaixaBank Group and the "la Caixa" Foundation, as well as friends, family members, CaixaBank customers and anyone else who wants to take part in charitable activities.
In 2023, thanks to the joint work with more than 2,200 social entities and the involvement of more than 17,200 volunteers, the CaixaBank Volunteering programme helped more than 372,000 vulnerable people throughout Spain, through activities related to education, digitalisation, accompaniment of vulnerable people and the environment.
Fostering corporate volunteering is one of CaixaBank's lines of action. For the bank, this is a way of helping to respond to the challenges faced by society, while simultaneously offering services and solutions for social entities and people at risk of vulnerability through its financial activity.
