Across OTS offices and our partner centers in OIPD many employees spend their personal time taking care of their communities. In a year when many families faced hardships, OTS and OIPD employees stepped up to help. Below are just a few stories of how our employees expanded the reach of their civil service by working with charitable organizations or creating community support efforts of their own.
Elizabeth Hoffman, a Knowledge Management specialist in the KM unit, has volunteered as a reading tutor in the elementary schools in Juneau for 8 years. Each year she meets regularly with one or two Kindergarten or first grade students who need a little extra attention and encouragement with their reading skills. “What we do depends on the level of the student. Sometimes our school-year journey begins with alphabet basics, and sometimes it begins with learning to write their name. I meet with the students for two half-hour sessions a week at the school. It’s a great way to continue to read some of my childhood favorites like Are You My Mother and Go, Dog, Go!”
Bernie Kuta from the RC’s Construction & Project Management Team, led a group of children to plant six-inch tall, wooden tulips, in the yards of 65 neighbors, to lift their spirits during the Easter holiday, if unable to celebrate with friends or family. Photo source: Bernie Kuta.
Every Federal holiday, Bernie Kuta, from the RC’s Construction and Project Management Team, helps his Knights of Columbus fraternity place 80 full-size American flags along a three-mile stretch of roadway for the community to enjoy and be reminded of the importance of national days of honor and sacrifice. Also, just before Easter, he led a group of children who “planted” six-inch tall wooden tulips in the yards of 65 neighbors. Bernie had spent two weeks cutting and painting 300 of the flowers himself.
Tom Kearney, team leader of the RC’s Transportation Performance Management, Asset Management, Freight, and Analytics Team, volunteers at the Loaves and Fishes food pantry and delivers food boxes to seniors in the community. His work keeps him physically active; he stocks shelves, unloads trucks, prepares food boxes, and carries boxes to clients’ cars when they need assistance.
Laura Girard, senior hydraulic engineer with the RC’s Geotechnical, Hydraulics & Engineering Team, became a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), where she works with a 15-year-old in foster care ensuring their voice is heard in court. She encourages others to get involved and says “There’s a nationwide shortage of CASA volunteers and an increasing number of abused and neglected children in need of support. It’s tremendously rewarding volunteer work.”
For 15 years Rod Vaughn of the RC’s Environment, Air Quality and Realty Team has volunteered his time on an annual community service project through his church. The church group does yard work and home repairs for people in need, typically the elderly and low-income households. The group works on 35 to 100 homes a year.
When it looked like the Boy Scouts would have to cancel a long-planned rafting trip, scoutmaster Pat Hasson (who is also the RC’s Safety and Design Technical Director) stepped in to rescue the outing. He organized a team of troop leaders and parents that developed a new plan for the trip that included strict health and safety protocols. The plan allowed the boys and troop leaders to spend a week safely kayaking 60 miles on the river, camping and enjoying other activities.
FHWA CLAS Program Manager Morgan Malley (right, in blue mask) during one of the volunteer days. Photo source: Morgan Malley.
Morgan Malley, a program manager with the FHWA Center for Local Aid Support, spends her Regular Day Off (RDO) Fridays fighting hunger in her community. She volunteers with “Food for Thought Denver,” a program created in 2012 to combat childhood hunger during the weekends. The program is a 100 percent volunteer-run program funded by community board members. It services 53 schools in Denver where more than 90 percent of the students are on reduced or free lunch programs. “I began volunteering in March of this year on my RDOs as a way to give back to my Denver community during these difficult times,” says Morgan. “Unfortunately, school tends to be the only time some children have access to regular meals.” As a volunteer, Morgan helps pack and distribute “PowerSacks,” which are bags filled with enough perishable food items to feed a family of four for the weekend. The ultimate goal of Food for Thought is a community where weekend hunger is no longer a roadblock in a child’s path to success. According to Morgan, “I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my RDO Fridays. It is so gratifying to see smiles on the faces of the little ones and their parents. I am thankful to Food for Thought Denver for this opportunity to make a difference for my community.”
Volunteers assembling PowerSacks that will feed children and their families. Photo source: Morgan Malley.
