Purpose in every package: A partnership supporting meaningful employment

For Haili Harris, managing the weekly shipments of Beacon Bank’s volunteer shirts to employees across the bank’s five-state footprint is more than just completing an order. It's his project.

"It's nice to work on a project that helps the bank support the community while helping me do my job,” said Harris, one of nearly 60 employees with disabilities working at the Mail Fulfillment Center run by the Center for Disability Services in Albany, New York.

The Mail Fulfillment Center was established more than 40 years ago to address the disproportionately high unemployment rate among people with disabilities in the region by creating meaningful, competitive-wage employment opportunities. Today, it combines that mission with a full-service printing, mailing and fulfillment operation that serves businesses, financial institutions, healthcare organizations and government agencies throughout the region.

Seeing ‘possibilities where others see obstacles’

“What makes the Center for Disability Services special is their ability to recognize talents and potential in every individual, and create opportunities for those talents to shine,” said James J. Morris IV, president of Beacon Bank's Capital Region and immediate past chair of the Center for Disability Services’ board of directors.

Alex Demitraszek, director of the Mail Fulfillment Center, said Harris has become an integral part of fulfilling hundreds of orders of Beacon Bank shirts since the partnership began in early 2026.

"He's really taken ownership of the Beacon Bank project," Demitraszek said. "Every week he gathers the shirts and materials and ensures every order goes out correctly. We've been able to give him more responsibility because of how well he's done, and it's something he truly takes pride in."

That sense of ownership reflects the broader impact the Center for Disability Services strives to create. Employees build workplace skills, gain confidence and contribute to their communities through meaningful work.

Creating a sense of purpose

"Meaningful employment changes lives," said Demitraszek. "When individuals have the opportunity to contribute, earn a paycheck and take pride in their work, it creates confidence, independence and a sense of purpose."

It’s why the bank chose to partner with the center to manage mailing its employee volunteer shirts, and why it supports the center as both a client and with more than $130,000 in foundation grants over the past 20 years.

“By helping people find opportunities where their abilities can shine, the center it is expanding what’s possible for individuals and creating a more inclusive community,” Morris said. “That’s work worth celebrating and supporting.”

October 2026

Member FDIC