Symantec’s Volunteer of the Quarter initiative highlights and rewards those employees who dedicate their time and talents to those in need. We have a long and proud history of encouraging our employees to volunteer. While the driving force of our efforts is largely altruistic, there is even more to volunteering than giving back to our communities. Volunteering makes our company a better place to work, so employees are helping both Symantec and the organizations they volunteer for.
Today we highlight our Volunteer of the Quarter Vishakha Adkar, Associate Sales Operations Specialist in the Pune, India office for her contributions to community organizations in the Pune region.
At Symantec I work in the Shared Resource Centre (SRC), part of the Global Sales Operations organization in Enterprise Sales and execute a number of processes aimed at supporting the Symantec sales teams. Within the SRC, I wear many hats – primarily working on Symantec Partner Enrollment and also assisting on administrative and employee engagement activities on behalf of the leadership team.
Symantec’s Volunteer of the Quarter, Vishakha Adkar, Associate Sales Operations Specialist, is honored for her volunteer work in the Pune, India region.
As an extension of my role in the SRC, I wear another hat – community volunteer.
With a passion for working with NGOs, I was quickly drawn to the many opportunities to give back at Symantec. In 2010, I began volunteering and since this time I have dedicated four to five hours per month with Pune nonprofit partner Seva-Sahayog.
Translating to community service (Seva stands for “service” and Sahayog stands for “community”), Seva-Sahayog engages companies, and passionate groups and individuals to support the development of the Pune region in key areas such as education (ensuring children have access to education and school supplies), economic empowerment (helping females in Pune slums become financially independent), health and wellness (providing women and children access to health and wellness resources), and the environment (preserving and restoring the local environment).
Over the years, I have worked on a variety of Seva-Sahayog projects including Tech for Seva (an integrated networking platform highlighting opportunities for prospective community development partnerships), developing school kits for orphanage kids, Library Book Management (which includes stamping and covering the books and giving numbers), clothing donation drives and community tree planting.
While each project has been unique, sparking my interest and commitment in continuing my volunteer service, there is one in particular memory that stands out. As part of Seva-Sahayog, a team of Symantec volunteers conducted a drawing competition for the children of the laborers who work in EON IT Park Pune. We were amazed to see the children’s creativity when given the freedom to draw whatever they pleased and their joy upon seeing the colorful crayons was unforgettable.
As part of Symantec’s partnership with Seva-Sahayog, a team of Symantec volunteers conducted a drawing competition for the children of the laborers who work in EON IT Park Pune.
You see, giving back isn’t just about giving. There is a lot that you receive as well. Throughout this work, I have developed my communications and project management skills, I have networked with employees I would not have met otherwise, and most importantly, it has given me a new outlook on my life and my community.
In conclusion, I would say that everybody spends lot of time working hard from the seat of their desks. This is what we need to excel as individuals and as a company. However, why not also think about taking an hour or two to volunteer for a cause that is important to Symantec, to your family, to your community or to yourself. Any contribution of time or money, no matter how small or large makes a difference.
I couldn’t be happier that I chose to volunteer. The smiles, the expressions of joy, the excitement, the thank you’s, the special moments, will all have a lasting impact on me. They are something I can always look at to say I made a difference inside and outside my company.
As Mahatma Gandhi is famous for saying "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others".
Symantec volunteers prepare library books to support Pune nonprofit Seva-Sahayog.