What 600 Salesforce Volunteer Hours Can Look Like

Students at James Russell Lowell School 51 in Indianapolis got a huge surprise last week. Salesforce presented the school with a $50,000 donation of iPads and MacBooks to give teachers better resources in the classroom as well as decrease the technology gap there.

Beyond this donation, Salesforce also pledged 5,000 employee volunteer hours at the school. So far, Indy employees have volunteered 600 hours there in under 3 months.

As the East Coast Salesforce.org Program Coordinator, I have the honor of seeing all of their volunteer programs combined and can share on what 600 volunteer hours has meant at this school:

• It means 32 classrooms learning about entrepreneurship and financial literacy through Junior Achievement Day.
• It means 13 teachers playing with their kids at Track and Field Day instead of facilitating the events.
• It means 3 school janitors receiving help with groundskeeping with 55 extra sets of hands.
• It means 2 barren walls are now covered in creative, thoughtful murals that make the students and teachers smile as they walk by.
• It means 20 students getting the opportunity to read one-on-one every Wednesday afternoon.
• It means 40 teachers and 1 principal knowing they are appreciated for being a part of a high-poverty school.

Inside and out, it is already transformed. Can you imagine what it will be like when Salesforce Indy reaches 5,000 hours there?

Salesforce has offices and employees across the world, and they are cultivating partnerships every day like the one between Salesforce Indy and Indianapolis Public Schools. They are meeting nonprofits and schools, identifying their needs, and providing support. I’m humbled to see how groups of employees consistently coming together can make such an impact in the world, and I will continue to report on how I see the world changing because of Salesforce.org.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

You can request Salesforce volunteers or learn more about Salesforce.org’s volunteer and grant programs.