Symantec and its employees have a rich history of helping others in their local communities. Several groups from across the globe have stepped up to help and are meeting the Take 5 challenge to volunteer at least five hours during the year. Through the Dollars for Doers program, they have made their volunteering count even more – the qualifying organizations have received a $15 donation from Symantec for each hour of volunteer service employees recorded.
Earlier this month, SymInfo highlighted volunteer efforts related to Safer Internet Day. In addition to stories associated with volunteering for specific occasions, SymInfo will feature teams on a quarterly basis who are making a difference in their communities.
Volunteering with Camara Education Dublin
In January, nine Symantec employees participated in the Take 5 initiative at Camara Education. Camara is an international charity and social enterprise that uses technology to deliver 21st century skills and education in disadvantaged communities around the world.
Camara collects computers from organizations for refurbishment and reuse, then loads them with educational software before they are shipped in bulk to education hubs throughout Ireland and Africa. These machines are typically installed in eLearning centers in schools and community centers to provide educational tools to some of the most disadvantaged communities in the world.
The volunteers – made up of EMEA Sales employees – visited the Camara warehouse in Chapelizod, where they were tasked with loading an empty container with the donated computers.
Over the course of their visit, the team managed to load an impressive 1,000 computers into the container, which will arrive in Ethiopia in about six weeks. Soon after that, thousands of disadvantaged African children will put their hands on a computer for the first time.
Moving forward, Camara will start taking Symantec’s redundant equipment for reuse, and will be able to take further groups of volunteers in their warehouse. Additionally, the hours logged by volunteers on the day will mean that Camara will receive $675 through Symantec’s Dollars for Doers program.
Culver City employees teach seniors about technology
Every quarter, a group of Culver City employees provides hands-on technology education at the Culver City Senior Center. For nearly eight years, several employees have given their time to help senior citizens navigate their electronic devices. What started as a way for them to learn how to use cell phones and laptops has turned into lessons on how to use smart phones, laptops, tablets and every array of electronic device. Over the course of the years, usually 20-30 seniors attend each event to receive help. At their last visit to the senior center, Symantec volunteers helped nearly 50 seniors learn how to use their devices.
After the last activity in January, volunteers received notes from the seniors they helped, expressing their gratitude. One senior shared her feelings:
This program is amazing. I always look forward to their [Symantec’s] visits. They are all so kind and knowledgeable. I have learned so much. I only wish they could come more often. Thanks a million!
Culver City employees feed the downtrodden
Recently, the Beachhead team held a team event where they gave back to the community through a volunteering initiative. As a group they prepared food packages, consisting of sandwiches and water, and personally distributed them to the local residents of Skid Row in Los Angeles. Skid Row is an area of downtown Los Angeles known for homelessness and poverty. They were able to provide 250 sandwiches for approximately 200 people and show that people care about their well-being.
“What a rewarding experience personally for me and also for all the team that attended the event,” said Amit Sodhi, Manager, Development. “In this fast paced technology savvy time coupled with rising expenses, it’s very humbling to see that a bottle of water and a PBJ/turkey sandwich can put such a big smile on the receiving end. We were able to serve around 200 people at the skid row residence and it amounted to what you would probably spend on a meal while having dinner at a $$ yelp place.”
Chirayu Sapre, Principal Software Engineer, added, “The biggest surprise for me was the scarcity of clean drinking water. I didn’t think that would be the case in a major city in a developed country. It felt good to be able to help some folks out, but it was also clear that many more such initiatives are desperately needed.”
Empowering tribal communities around Pune
The IT Team in Pune conducted a donation drive for the benefit of Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that focuses on the betterment of tribal communities in the state of Maharashtra. The NGO’s programs are aimed at educating tribal kids and empowering women. As part of the drive, team members contributed to purchase a sewing machine for “Mahila Shivan Class” (Women’s Sewing & Stitching Centre) situated at Kasurdi village, near Bhor, 50 kms from Pune. Along with the sewing machine, the team also bought the required raw material, and paid for the training sessions for women – all aimed at increasing living standards through skill development. Through the initiative, the team members also donated clothes for 100 people, books, stationery items, toys and food grains.
Symantechies walk for selfless service
A group of Symantec employees in Pune actively volunteered for ‘Walk for Seva,’ a three-kilometer walkathon by our NGO partner Seva Sahyog. A drive to create awareness about Seva Sahyog’s urban slum development project ‘Samutkarsha,’ the walkathon had more than 3,000 participants. Symantechies assisted the NGO with logistics, route planning, attendee registrations, managing the kids, flagging off the walk, traffic management, food distribution, etc.
Introducing cyber careers to South African girls
The Cape Town site recently hosted a group of 30 11th and 12th grade girls from the Ukhozi Girls Club (an extremely socially deprived group of girls). Five female Symantec employees taught the girls how to stay safe online and what security signs to look out for. The volunteers also shared stories of their career paths at Symantec with the aim to help them find a path in life and give them examples of what they can accomplish. The event concluded with tips on applying for jobs, creating a CV/résumé and interviewing skills.
The event was such a great experience for everyone who participated – both for the volunteers and the girls – that a couple girls asked three of the volunteers if they would be their mentors and they willingly accepted.
These are great examples of the change employees can make in the lives of those who are less fortunate in our communities. For more information contact community_relations@symantec.com.