Starbucks Community Service: Message List - Just for fun- Looking back stories!

Re: Just for fun- Looking back stories!

communityservice@starbucks.com — Sat, 05 May 2012 12:19:00 GMT

My story will be probably different from other stories... I grew up in the socialist Czechoslovakia and (no matter how funny it sounds) volunteering was mandatory. So they told us to go and we all went. No questions asked. Still, I have fantastic memories and tried to make the best out of it. In fall we used to go to the fields to pick potatoes. It is quite cold in October in central Europe and there we were - picking them one by one, all day long... all bundled up and having fun.

One of my favorites was the hop picking. At high school, everyone had to go hop picking during the last two weeks of their summer break (yes, they took two weeks of our summer break ) before we started our 2nd year (it's called the sophomore year here). Again, we were there in the middle of nowhere pulling the hop vines from the wires and picking one "hop head" after another throwing them in the big basket... 8 hours a day... 14 days ... during the summer break... We came home smelling like hops; believe me, those were fantastic times! I would not have it any other way.

And then, many mandatory volunteering events later (I can't even think of all of them during my college years!), I didn't mind doing it again: organizing trips to the horse farm for kids from work, cleaning the surroundings of my apartment complex (with my little son on my side), cleaning our little town.

Someone has to do things like this no matter where we live.

We all have a privilege to work for the company that supports these kinds of activities. We are lucky to be a huge part of our communities not only because we serve them in our stores. We are a part of our communities because we give back!

Happy volunteering,

Anna

Re: Just for fun- Looking back stories!

communityservice@starbucks.com — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:40:06 GMT

Wow Ashely, that is so amazing! I am so ready to step out in the same fashion and truly "touch lives"!

Re: Just for fun- Looking back stories!

communityservice@starbucks.com — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:21:24 GMT

Dang Ashley thats amazing!

I will say I haven't been exposed to community work for very long in my life- maybe that's why I am making up for it now! Haha. In my district in San Jose like 5 years ago now... we helped out at a shelter down there. We bagged food and sorted donations for all the people in need and it was so life changing. You truely don't realize how blessed we are and we take for granted fruit or a can of food. Crazy right?! Seems so basic but all that little stuff, down to a smile makes a HUGE impact on someones day.

I am glad to be a part of a company that is so passionate about helping out in the community and that has helped expose me to this simple part of life.

Just for fun- Looking back stories!

communityservice@starbucks.com — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 05:38:12 GMT

I just love hearing stories about what people are doing to help out, but one thing I love is when the younger kiddos get involved too, and get to see work that they're doing be a blessing to the community around them. So I have a question: What are some of your earliest memories of volunteer work that you've done and how has it impacted you today?

This probably isn't the earliest volunteer work I've done, but one of the first I can remember that really had an impact on me was flying out to Mississippi after Katrina hit, and doing some clean up work out there. I was in 8th grade and it was the first time I left home by myself, and it also happened to be over CHRISTMAS, of all times! Christmas was my favorite holiday so I was very conflicted about going, but I wish I could do something like that every Christmas now! I was with some absolutely amazing people, and we slept on cots under a tarp with space heaters We passed out blankets and toys on Christmas and hung out with families that were living in trailers because their houses were destroyed. Their lives were also destroyed but they were hopeful and so grateful, and it blessed me to hear about their stories!

Let's hear it- what about you?