Pharmacist Matthew Joiner has worked at UAB for almost two decades total—from 1999 to 2006, and then again from 2011 to the present. From essentially the very beginning of his time at UAB, Joiner has been a monthly contributor to the Benevolent Fund through payroll deduction. He learned about the fund during his first UAB orientation—back when he was a pharmacy technician. He was intrigued, and after learning more about it from his then-supervisor, he decided to give.
“My manager at the time gave me more information about the Benevolent Fund and what it did, and it sounded like a really good way for someone as small as me—then a low-wage, hourly employee—to play a part in the bigger picture of supporting UAB,” he said.
Two years later, in 2001, Joiner was in pharmacy school when a health problem required him to have surgery.
“This is before the Affordable Care Act, and I had minimal student insurance coverage at that time and was only part-time at UAB,” Joiner said. “I needed some help, so I went to the Benevolent Fund and said ‘I have to have this surgery. It’s completely unplanned. Insurance will pay for a part of it, but my balance will be very difficult for me to take care of.’”
Through the Benevolent Fund’s Employee Emergency Assistance Program (EEAP), Joiner was able to have surgery without falling into crippling debt.
“When you work at UAB, you’re part of an extended family,” he said. “If you need help, you reach out to your family—it’s no different in the UAB world. We’re just one big family trying to help each other.”
“I had been contributing to something I never thought I’d need, but when I did need it, I was so glad something was there for me—and anyone who needs it, whether they contribute or not,” he said. “Sometimes employees have hardships, and they don’t have anywhere to go. It’s important that the Benevolent Fund fills that void, that need.”
After returning to UAB after six years away, Joiner once again became a monthly contributor, and even served on the Benevolent Fund Council, made up of representatives from across the academic and medical campuses. He has also worked with the fund on Habitat for Humanity builds and with food drives for Blazer Kitchen.
Joiner said that one of the best parts of working at UAB is that he is part of a family unit, one that supported him during his time of need—and other members of which he helps support each month through his contribution.
“When you work at UAB, you’re part of an extended family,” he said. “If you need help, you reach out to your family—it’s no different in the UAB world. We’re just one big family trying to help each other. We may not always know how to help somebody but giving to the Benevolent Fund does the most good for people who need it. It’s a really important and easy way to help people.”