Zoe Durden’s journey with Communities In Schools (CIS) began in 2018 when she was asked to join a Bank of America holiday volunteer event. “I thought, why not?” she laughs. Eight years later, Zoe has spent six of those years co-leading the Reid Park Holiday Campaign, a tradition that’s become deeply meaningful to her. 

The Reid Park Holiday Project is an annual fundraising campaign led by Bank of America’s CFO Group to bring holiday joy to CIS students at Reid Park Academy. This project kicked off in 2003 and has since supported thousands of students and families, thanks to the generosity of over 1,000 Bank of America employees over the decades. Working with the school’s Site Coordinator, students create wish lists that volunteers help fulfill. Beginning in September, Zoe works with CIS to finalize logistics and then leads 80+ volunteers into December as they raise funds, shop, wrap, and deliver hundreds of gifts to families. 

“I actually went to Reid Park Academy myself, from kindergarten through third grade,” Zoe shares. “It feels full circle to give back to the school that I attended so many years ago.” 

Beyond the holiday project, Zoe has supported a variety of CIS initiatives, from assembling Dine Out for Kids bags to helping with Difference Makers’ graduation celebrations. “No matter the initiative, you can see the difference you’re making, the smiles, the thank-you cards from students, it’s really special.” 

Zoe also credits Bank of America for encouraging its employees to give back. Through volunteer opportunities and the donation-matching program, the company helps amplify every act of service. Recently, she led a project with the Global Regulatory Relations team to assemble 80 “study goodie bags” for students ahead of testing, a small but powerful way to remind them that an entire community believes in their success. 

“At the Difference Makers graduation, I wondered if any of those students had received presents through our holiday campaign prior,” Zoe recalls. “It was amazing to think that maybe we helped bring them joy and motivation that carried them through to graduation.” 

Her message to aspiring volunteers is simple: “Communities In Schools is a wonderful organization. Every child deserves an opportunity to succeed, and volunteering is a great way to support the people who are there every day making that success possible.” 

Whether she’s wrapping an oddly shaped skateboard or cheering on recently graduated seniors, Zoe embodies the spirit of giving that fuels student success year after year. “It takes a whole village — and we all have fun doing it.”