Six Continents + 93 Countries + 479 Cities = 1 'Epic' Global Community Day

This year's Global Community Day, in the words of my London-based colleagues, was nothing short of "epic".

More than 70,000 Citi colleagues, friends and family and alums came together in the days leading and including the 7^th of June, as one global volunteer team. We reached 479 cities across 93 countries, and Citi volunteers got involved with a variety of activities, from hands-on to skills-based work.

We built homes, restored parks and helped increase financial literacy among today's youth. Although we gave back in a variety of ways, we came together for one common purpose: to demonstrate our strong and continued commitment to enabling progress in the communities in which we live, work and have a presence.

Making a Lasting Impact

Personally, I was impressed by the scale of the transformations that took place around the world, as a result of the hard work of our Citi volunteers. Joined by almost 100 fellow Citi volunteers, including CEO Mike Corbat, I spent the day volunteering at a local park in East Harlem, New York City.

initiative. Together, we painted playgrounds, groomed overgrown flower beds, and cleared trash around the park. The end result? A clean and beautiful park ready for the community to enjoy just in time for the summer.

Similar transformations occurred across more than 1,200 service projects worldwide - while our events focused on achieving a lot in a short timeframe, our impact will sustain beyond the here and now.

The Word is Out: #CitiVolunteers

Citi alumni, friends and family, our community partners, and other volunteer champions shared their experiences and stories in real time through social media. By searching #CitiVolunteers on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, you will get an idea of the diversity of projects and the impact they had on their communities. (Spoiler alert: #CitiVolunteers was tweeted over 2,100 times on June 7^th alone, and one Instagram photo featured our CEO's very own selfie.)

But It Doesn't Stop Here

Global Community Day is just the beginning - we look forward to a year full of volunteer opportunities around the globe, as we countdown to the 10^th anniversary of Global Community Day in 2015. Stay tuned!