For Terri Arnold-McKenzie, saying yes when invited to join the Advisory Committee for the St. John’s ICARE Foundation was an effortless choice. National Grid, the utility company where Terri is the Senior Program Manager for Community Outreach and Engagement, has been a consistent supporter of Episcopal Health Services, Inc. (EHS), often sponsoring community events hosted by St. John’s Episcopal Hospital and the ICARE Foundation. As a result, prior to becoming a committee member, Terri was familiar with ICARE’s work, having already participated on a couple of service projects with the Foundation.
Terri’s enthusiasm for ICARE and excitement for her new role on the Committee is apparent. “I love the work that they do, so when a position opened up on the Committee and the opportunity came up for me, I jumped at the chance because I truly believe in what ICARE is doing, for the Rockaways, but overall, for community health and developing engagement.” Established in 2021, the ICARE Foundation benefits and supports the charitable and educational activities of EHS.
Supporting the health and wellness of communities is part of ICARE’s mission, one that strongly resonates with Terri and lends the spark for her role at National Grid. She says, “It’s all about creating spaces for communities, for people, and just making sure we leave the community better than when we arrived. That’s my passion.”
This passion for creating positive change and fostering strong community relationships is a natural extension between ICARE projects and Terri’s position at National Grid, specifically for the company’s Project C initiative. Now in its fourth year, Project C activates year-round volunteer efforts—from various service projects to community events—for National Grid employees to participate in. Additionally, Project C encourages interaction with local nonprofits and provides funding for organizations doing grassroots community work. “Along with our vision for clean energy and energy transition, we’re also developing community engagement and relationships,” Terri says.
Responsible for directing Project C’s community initiatives throughout Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island, Terri brings extensive experience encompassing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, community outreach, project management, and strategic partnership development. With her dedication to creating meaningful change and strong community bonds, Terri is especially appreciative of Project C’s annual Week of Service. Taking place throughout the second week of September, the event brings together hundreds of National Grid employees to volunteer with dozens of community organizations across New York State and Massachusetts.
Terri is proud of how this annual service event has evolved from a Day of Service during the first two years of Project C’s existence to a Week of Service beginning in 2023. She described the many service projects that took place during the recent weeklong event, including several flagship projects such as food distribution to families from Brooklyn to Rockville Center, park clean ups, and a partnership with Meals on Wheels to provide meals for homebound seniors.
Expressing gratitude, Terri says, “It’s so exciting to see everyone out, doing the really good work. We don’t always realize how deep the need is, we’re in our own space, our little bubble and when you come out of that bubble, you see how blessed we are.” Terri stresses that when you see the great need, you’re almost forced to do something, adding, “You want to uplift as you climb.”
Terri sees her work as “the best job on the planet, helping people, the volunteering, the giving back. That’s why I was so excited about the ICARE opportunity, to work on their Advisory Committee because I know they’re doing really good work.”
Terri holds an MBA in Marketing from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University. She lives in Baldwin, NY.
