There are many ways to return to your former school. Kathie Patterson came back with 30 colleagues ready to get to work.
For Ally Financial’s Chief Human Resources and Corporate Citizenship Officer, the October 13 visit to Neinas Dual Language Learning Academy was a homecoming. For the school, it was a day of extra hands, thoughtful gestures and community support. And for the DPSCD Foundation, it demonstrated the possibilities that open up when a company and a school come together around a shared purpose.
Working in partnership with Principal Adriana Rendon and the Neinas team, the Foundation helped coordinate a service experience that gave Ally employees meaningful ways to contribute to the Southwest Detroit school community.
A Day With Something to Give
Across Neinas, volunteers put their energy into projects supporting the school environment, student well-being and educator appreciation.
The work ranged from advancing the school’s community garden to refreshing the teachers’ lounge and assembling 500 take-home snack packs for students. In classrooms, Ally employees joined students in grades 2–5 for gratitude and teacher appreciation activities. Students’ messages became part of the refreshed lounge, bringing their voices into a space dedicated to the educators who support them.
Each activity offered a different way to contribute. Some projects called for teamwork and a little elbow grease. Others centered on preparing something useful for a student to take home or giving a teacher a moment of recognition. Together, they made for a day in which colleagues could connect with one another while contributing to a community beyond their workplace.
Principal Rendon’s partnership was central to bringing the experience together. Working with school leadership helped shape the projects around Neinas’ priorities and coordinate a day that fit into the life of the building. Volunteers could arrive with a clear purpose and spend their time making a tangible contribution.
“This is what meaningful corporate engagement can look like when we start with what a school truly needs,” said Kerrie Mitchell Campbell-Mabins, president and CEO of the DPSCD Foundation. “Ally is not only investing resources, but people and time into creating an environment where students and educators feel supported. Our role as a foundation is to connect partners to opportunities where their support can make a tangible difference, and we’re grateful to Ally for showing up in such a meaningful way.”
Returning to Her Roots
Patterson’s connection to Neinas gave the day another layer of meaning.
Returning as an alumna and a corporate leader, she brought her colleagues into a place that was part of her own beginning. Her homecoming connected the school’s history with its present and offered a personal reason for the Ally team to invest their time there.
“Detroit isn’t just where Ally is headquartered, it’s my hometown,” said Patterson. “Having attended DPSCD for much of my childhood, I saw firsthand the impact that caring educators and strong school communities can have on a student’s life. That’s why this work is so meaningful. At Ally, we’re proud to invest resources and also our time and talents, to support students and educators, and help build stronger communities.”
It is a connection the DPSCD Foundation hopes to inspire across its alumni community: people remembering where they started and finding ways to support the students following them.
At Neinas, that idea became a day of shared effort, with a team turning one person’s school connection into an opportunity for many to give back.
A Surprise That Added to the Celebration
Ally also surprised the Foundation with a $50,000 donation, adding an extraordinary gesture of generosity to an already meaningful day.
We are deeply grateful for the gift and for Ally’s confidence in the Foundation’s work. Alongside the team’s volunteer service, it reflected a commitment to Detroit’s students and the communities that support them.
The day at Neinas also helped reignite a service opportunity the Foundation is eager to expand with more companies and schools.
There is real value in giving employees an opportunity to contribute together, see the community they are supporting and leave knowing what they accomplished. There is also value in the relationships that can begin during a single visit and grow from there.
“I want to personally thank Ally and its employees for filling in gaps for our District, students, and staff by taking their time to beautify Neinas,” said Dr. Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District. “We hope your act of service inspires other companies and organizations to do the same throughout the District.”
The Foundation helps bring those experiences together, connecting interested companies with school communities and working alongside school leaders to identify meaningful projects. Whether a team brings a personal school connection, professional expertise or simply the willingness to roll up its sleeves, there is an opportunity to get involved.
Thank you to Ally Financial, Patterson, Principal Rendon and the Neinas staff for the care and collaboration that made this day possible.
What could a day of service look like for your team? Visit dpscdfoundation.org/day-of-service to connect with the DPSCD Foundation and explore the possibilities.
