
Building Community: Merchants Foundation’s Employee Volunteer Expo Empowers Local Nonprofits
Merchants Foundation, a private charitable foundation supported by the Merchants family of companies, recently hosted its second annual Volunteer Expo for Merchants Bank and Merchants Capital employees. The Expo brought together three local nonprofit organizations that support the Foundation’s three guiding pillars: Housing, Healthcare and Education. The Expo is more than an event — it’s a platform for social good that showcases the impactful work of these organizations through their stories of triumph and resilience.

“Last year’s Volunteer Expo, held as part of the official launch of Merchants Foundation, was an overwhelming success. It demonstrated the incredible enthusiasm and commitment our employees have for community engagement. Inspired by that positive response, we were thrilled to further strengthen that connection and amplify our collective impact within the community.”
Julia Kaercher
Merchants Foundation Executive Director
This year’s expo featured the participation of three remarkable nonprofit organizations, each representing one of the foundation’s core pillars: housing, healthcare & education

An organization committed to helping vulnerable youth break the cycle of poverty by developing career paths, a professional network, a career path and providing mentorship over six continual years, from junior high through high school. With a heavy focus on career paths, corporate volunteer integration, emotional intelligence training, long-term mentoring, and cost-effectiveness, DREAM Alive differentiates itself from other mentoring organizations.

An organization fighting hunger in Central Indiana from every angle. Working to rescue food that would otherwise be thrown away, prepare it, deliver it to local nonprofits for free and help feed Hoosiers in need. That rescued food is used to create more than 5,000 nutritious meals each day that are distributed to more than 100 social service agencies that feed Hoosiers in need.

A nonprofit dedicated to supporting teens and young adults transitioning out of the foster care system by empowering them on their unique journey to self-sufficiency. Foster Success focuses on ensuring teens and young adults transitioning out of foster care are educated, housed, financially stable, employed, and connected to a reliable support system by their 26th birthday.
The Volunteer Expo not only fostered new connections between these organizations and our employees but also inspired a renewed commitment to community service. Each organization also received a $5,000 gift, a contribution aimed at empowering their efforts and enabling them to expand their impactful initiatives even further. We hope this support provides essential resources but also reinforces our commitment to nurturing the vital work these organizations undertake within our communities, ensuring they have the means to make an even greater difference.
“Through employee nominations and volunteering, this ripple effect of positive change continues to spread, touching countless lives throughout our community,” Julia Kaercher shared. Each employee plays a vital role in this endeavor, whether through direct service, advocacy, or simply sharing our partner organizations’ stories.”
To learn more about Merchants Foundation and its impact, visit www.merchantsfoundation.org or find Merchants Foundation on LinkedIn and Instagram.