April Baldridge’s never-ending love for volunteerism inspires family, team members
April Baldridge, Synovus commercial banker, wants to do more to help others. Her dedication to volunteerism has earned her the Donald D. Howard Heart of the Community Award, given by the Synovus North Georgia division.
Baldridge has a longstanding reputation for helping others.
“A few of my first memories are selling candy bars in grade school to help get supplies for the classroom,” she remembers. “I ended up selling the most candy bars and won a really cool telescope.”
Since then, she’s devoted her time and talent to organizations that help communities and individuals in need. Baldridge lives in Tunnel Hill, Georgia, and volunteers for United Way of Gordon County, Junior Achievement and Levi Circle. When she joined Synovus, she introduced Levi Circle, an organization that supports adoptive and foster families, to her new team and broadened the efforts to help the group.
She’s recently been appointed as treasurer for the board of Hope Spur Inc., a northwest Georgia nonprofit focused on raising funds for people who cannot afford mental health treatment, resources or counseling.
Throughout her life, a Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. quote has served as an inspiration to Baldridge’s volunteerism: “If a man is called to be a street sweeper … He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”
“I like to do what I can for others, which is probably not enough.”
She shares that her “why” is to help others create better lives for themselves, their families and their communities. Growing up in an unpredictable environment, she loves making a difference in other people’s lives.
Community service, giving and volunteerism are a family affair for Baldridge, her firefighter husband, Cory; daughter, Taylor, who’s graduating college to become a radiologist technician; and her son, Collin, who’s following in his father’s footsteps and is currently in a recruitment class to become a firefighter.
Her son once complimented her saying, “Mom, you brought yourself up out of the mud.” When thinking of his words, she says, “That compliment will stick with me for the rest of my life.”
During the past holiday season, Baldridge coordinated a toy drive where she, team members and the community donated more than 260 toys to help low- to middle-income families enjoy the holiday season.
She also inspires Synovus team members to care for others in the community through volunteerism. Baldridge’s daughter questioned her career choice after a difficult shift working at the hospital. “I told her to use her platform. If you’re not doing an X-ray, and you see someone over there by themself, go over there and talk to them, sit down beside them because not everyone has family like we do,” she said.
Years ago, while her son faced a health battle, a parent of one of his friends contacted her to thank her for raising a young man who encouraged and inspired her son. Even Baldridge’s daughter stepped in as her replacement when she wasn’t available to run a race benefiting muscular dystrophy research.
Desirae Windom, a friend and former coworker, says Baldridge has inspired her to volunteer, and they’ve volunteered together on numerous occasions. They worked together for more than five years, and she remembers her as a cheerleader for everyone on her team.
“Helping others is a day-to-day thing for April. She wants to be a person who’s there to lean on and talk to for anything with no judgment,” Windom shares.
Baldridge shares she has been spiritually led to help others, and there’s a lot more work for her to do. “I like to do what I can for others, which is probably not enough,” she adds.
Read more about how Synovus team members are enabling people to reach their full potential.
