Cardinal at Work Cares creates community and a culture of volunteerism at Stanford
Christi Cerna, wellness program specialist for BeWell, advocates for volunteerism and walks the walk. “I regularly volunteer with the Open Space Authority in the South Bay,” shared Christi. “We restore landscapes, connect people to nature, support agriculture, provide outdoor education, and sustain our natural resources for future generations. Through my volunteer work, I’ve learned new skills, forged new friendships, and gained a lasting bond with my community.”
Shannon Cully, a development coordinator in the Office of Development, volunteered with 20 of her colleagues from the Planned Giving Department for the Ecumenical Hunger Project (EHP) in Palo Alto last year, preparing produce boxes and distributing food to EHP clients. “It was an incredibly rewarding experience,” Shannon said. “It gave our team a chance to work together informally and connect around something meaningful to all of us.”
Chris Queen, a finance manager in the School of Medicine, shared, “For seven to eight-week stretches, I specialize in fostering mom cats with kittens. Often, they come to me when the kittens are just a few hours to a few days old. It's a life-changing and, at times, lifesaving experience for both the kitties and me!” Chris works remotely from her home in San Diego, where she currently volunteers through her local Humane Society.
These are just a few examples of how Stanford employees do good in our communities – and how they find a sense of purpose, connection, and well-being in doing so.
“We know that thousands of our employees are contributing in a myriad of ways big and small,” said Vice President for Human Resources Elizabeth Zacharias. “Looking ahead to 2025, we want to encourage staff and faculty across the university to utilize Stanford’s resources – especially Cardinal at Work Cares – to engage with the causes they care about most and seize opportunities to bring their skills, talent, and passion to bear on helping those causes. We know this will deepen our employees’ connection with Stanford and their colleagues across the organization.”
Connecting you with the things you care about the most
Many Stanford employees have participated in a Cardinal at Work Cares donation drive or voluntary campus project at some point. However, some employees may still not be aware of the Cardinal at Work Cares employee volunteer program, which centers on a user-friendly Community Opportunities volunteer platform that connects employees with the needs of organizations serving our communities. “There is no easier way to find the right volunteer opportunity for you,” said Jamie Silacci, senior manager with University Human Resources, who worked to launch the platform. On the platform, you can filter volunteer needs and organizations according to your interests and readily find opportunities to fit your schedule, location, and other practical needs.
The platform adds new opportunities each month. To expand the breadth of volunteer options, employees are encouraged to share organizations they personally support by becoming an Organization Manager or submitting a one-time post. “Remote employees can add opportunities to the platform, too,” Silacci emphasized. “Engaging in an activity with other Stanford employees is a fantastic way to foster a sense of community and connection for on-site and remote employees alike.”
Other year-round opportunities to do good
Cardinal at Work Cares also facilitates team experiences, where Stanford employees can work together on a meaningful project of their choice while also spending time together and building interpersonal connections.
Managers can apply for a team volunteer experience that involves going off-site to work directly with a non-profit or for a “project in a box” activity that teams complete together at their worksite or meeting place.
Jorge De Luna, director of community engaged learning in health at the Haas Center for Public Service, participated in a community project assembling stuffed animals for children in hospitals, shelters, and housing organizations, through Cardinal at Work Cares last year. He said, “Our team has experienced turnover, and after the pandemic, some team members said they feel disconnected. This activity brought people together in a fun atmosphere and allowed us to contribute to the community at the same time. I heard lots of laughter, and it was really good to see the team enjoying time together.”
In addition to team experiences, Cardinal at Work Cares works across units to gather and organize donation drives through on-site events and virtual wish lists, bringing employees together to contribute to vetted service organizations in our communities. Often, these are created by other groups, for example, the School of Engineering hosted a “giving tree” that asked employees to fulfill holiday gift requests from local young people, and members of the Black Staff Alliance placed collection bins across the campus to collect food donations.
Stanford gave employees an additional floating holiday in 2022, to provide them with a full day every year to celebrate a holiday of their choosing. Employees can also consider using one of their floating holidays and/or PTO to engage in volunteering and giving back to their communities.
Regardless of how you decide to give back in 2025, take advantage of Cardinal at Work Cares to get started and get the most out of your chosen volunteer experience.
Great ways to start your New Year
