Think of Kyra Scalea as the commander of a benevolent army. It’s an army of 14,700 Vanguard employees dispersed throughout the country11,000 in Malvern, 2,400 in Scottsdale, Ariz., and 1,300 in Charlotte, N.C. Together, they participate in thousands of community-improvement projects, all coordinated by Scalea.
Every September, for example, Vanguard aligns with United Way’s 365 Days of Caring.
This year, Scalea oversaw more than 4,000 events. One of her most memorable experiences came during a recent Days of Caring event. She and 40 of her colleagues were cleaning an abandoned lot in Center City’s Fairmount neighborhood that had been a dumping ground and a magnet for drug users and the homeless.
“Neighbors told us that their kids would walk several blocks out of their way to get to school, just to avoid that place,” Scalea says.
When residents saw Vanguard employees taking action, they joined in. “Then came a parade of women carrying trays of food,”
says Scalea, who lives in Exton. “Right on the sidewalk, they set up a buffet of food, coffee and soda. Now that’s a day of caring.”
