Water Cooler Moments: Volunteering

Picture: the office water cooler. The place where you go to catch up with the people who sit on the other side of the office. The urbanized equivalent of a watering hole. Or, at the very least, where you go to fill up your water bottle. At Talkdesk, we understand the importance of this element of office culture and how it affects morale, but also recognize that hectic schedules, remote work and a variety of other factors can limit these interactions. So, we decided to create a monthly series called “Water Cooler Moments”, where we’ll share comments from Talkdesk employees about current events, pop culture, hobbies and more. Our hope is that these digitized Q&As will uplift you and inspire good conversations with your coworkers.

This month, we’re focusing on how you can make a difference in your community. We asked Talkdesk employees from San Francisco to Lisbon about how they volunteer and why they do it. Read on for their responses.

James Dutta, Solutions Consultant, San Francisco

What is the name of the organization you volunteer for and what do they do?

“Muttville is a nonprofit dog rescue in San Francisco that specializes in senior dogs (dogs eight years and older). They take in dogs from all over California and overseas in order to give them new homes. Muttville’s mission is to change the way the world thinks about and treats older dogs and to create better lives for them through rescue, foster, adoption, hospice, education and advocacy.”

What do you do as a volunteer?

“I foster dogs from Muttville as a part of their foster program…. I advocate for the dog and speak to potential adopters with the goal of getting the dog adopted.”

Why do you choose to volunteer in this capacity?

“I’ve loved dogs my entire life and when I found out about Muttville and their mission statement, I knew I wanted to help out in any way I could. Also, my current dog Caramel is from Muttville as well and she’s amazing.”

What is the most rewarding experience you’ve had as a volunteer?

“Successfully connecting the dogs I foster with new homes. It’s a great feeling to know that a dog is going to a good home!”

Liz Pedro, Director of Customer Marketing, Remote (Arizona)

What is the name of the organization you volunteer for and what do they do?

“I founded a charity called Apache Tears Foundation eight years ago that my family works on together. The mission of the Apache Tears Foundation is to enrich the lives of Native American youth by encouraging them to develop their strengths, including: traditions, education, arts, respect and self-esteem.

Right now we mainly focus on handing out Christmas presents to needy children. We typically give out a few hundred gifts a year—the max was around 400 one year.”

Why do you choose to volunteer in this capacity?

“My husband is San Carlos Apache and we’ve been married for 30 years. From my first trip there I have wanted to do something to help the children. Plus, as cheesy as this sounds, my husband is my greatest gift in life and so I want to pay back his community.”

What is the most rewarding experience you’ve had as a volunteer?

“We’ve had a few that really stand out. One is when I gave a gift to a little girl and she looked at me like she had never had a Christmas gift before. She looked at me with so much love in her eyes that it touched me profoundly.”

Edgar Pimenta, Director of Information Security, Porto, Portugal

What is the name of the organization you volunteer for and what do they do?

“Re-Food’s goal is to get leftovers from restaurants and redistribute them to families in need. This way, you reduce food leftovers that would be sent to the garbage and provide meals to families in need.”

What do you do as a volunteer?

“I participate in picking the food leftovers from some restaurants and take them to the Operations Center where they are kept for distribution to the families on the next day.”

What is the most rewarding experience you’ve had as a volunteer?

“Seeing the tons of food (yes, tons) and waste/leftovers that we were able to distribute after 1 year in operation was very rewarding.”

Lori Stout, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Remote (Indiana)

What is the name of the organization you volunteer for and what do they do?

“Child Advocates engages community volunteers and staff to protect children who are victims of child abuse. We are their voices in court, ensuring all children thrive in a safe and secure home.”

What do you do as a volunteer?

“I am a court-appointed special advocate (CASA). My role is to protect the interests of children who are victims of abuse and neglect. I represent them inside and outside of the courtroom, making recommendations to the court, Child Protective Services and guardians about how to best serve the child’s mental, emotional and physical needs.”

Why do you choose to volunteer in this capacity?

“There are thousands of children with open abuse and neglect cases in Indianapolis… My niece and nephew were adopted out of the foster care system and I’ve seen firsthand the difference it makes for a child to have someone who is exclusively “theirs”, fighting to make sure they don’t get lost in the complexity of the juvenile court system.”

What is the most rewarding experience you’ve had as a volunteer?

“I’ve had the difficult task of asking a judge to terminate a mother’s parental rights. It’s heartbreaking. But two years later, the little boy involved in the case has been adopted into a loving family and is thriving beyond anyone’s wildest expectations. That’s the best possible ending to his story.”

Rachel Tsao, Senior Product Manager, San Francisco

What do you do as a volunteer?

“I help with zoo fundraiser events like the Fur Ball (The Gala at the San Francisco Zoo).”

What is the most rewarding experience you’ve had as a volunteer?

“Being able to see amazing animals up close and knowing that I am helping make a difference.”