How many years have you been a project coordinator?
I’ve been a part of Comcast Cares Day since 2009. Each year since then, I’ve volunteered as either a Project Lead or a Project Coordinator for one of our Comcast Cares Day sites here in California.
What is one thing you do as a project coordinator that you don’t think people are aware of?
The easiest thing to forget is the amount of time it takes to plan these events and the number of people it requires to make this day successful. I’d also say, planning the small details of Comcast Cares Day is something that goes unnoticed; like logistics, volunteer attendance and coordinating with our partners, to name a few.
What part of being one in a million, and specifically a project coordinator, makes you proudest?
For me, it’s watching hundreds of volunteers come together on a beautiful day; driven by the same unifying purpose of making the community a better place for our neighbors and especially for the kids. I also love that there are no titles on Cares Day. It just feels like everyone equal and working towards the same goal. It’s funny, sometimes you actually see the script flipped; as Supervisors, Managers and Directors take orders from frontline employees and kids. It’s really something to see.
What is the toughest part of being a project coordinator?
The toughest part about being a Project Coordinator is what you can’t do. Many of the schools nominated as Comcast Cares Day sites are in dire need and once you’re a Project Coordinator you really see that. School officials will reach out with very ambitious lists of requests on the behalf of their students and teachers simply because getting funding is hard. Having to turn down a request because it isn’t within our budget never sits well especially when you can see the benefit it could have for the community.
What impact do project coordinators have on Comcast Cares Day?
Project Coordinators have a huge impact on Comcast Cares Day. As the organizers and planners for individual sites, Project Coordinators have numerous responsibilities from identifying the needs of the site to building a plan on how to execute the project on the big day. So it’s pretty simple, Project Coordinators are really the foundation of a successful Comcast Cares Day.
What does Comcast Cares Day mean for your community?
Comcast Cares Day is a breath of fresh air for our community and at times a lifeline for many of these schools both within and outside of my community. Not only does it affect the schools tremendously, but it also impacts the volunteers as well. When they see the difference that’s made in just a few hours, with their sacrifice and time, it can leave a lasting impression that we hope they will carry forward.
Tell us how you manage to bring so many volunteers to Comcast Cares Day.
I have been involved with youth programs in my church and my community for a long time and I’ve always wanted to find ways to teach our youth what the “Act of Service” really means. While working as a Supervisor in Santa Cruz, I started bringing youth from my community to Comcast Cares Day with the promised reward of taking them to the boardwalk afterwards. After two years of bringing just youth, their parents wanted to get involved. Since then, the Tongan Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints community has become so involved with Comcast Cares Day that it’s as if they were Comcast employees. For the last four years, we’ve brought more than 400 volunteers to sites across the entire South Bay and we look forward to continuing the partnership each year.
