People – Passion – Professionalism: Staff experiences during the pandemic
LaDrea Clark, Volunteer and Special Events Coordinator
What do you like best about your job?
The people I work with – from volunteers to clients and staff. People really care about each other here.
What was it like working at CSA this past year during the pandemic? How did your job change? How did you flex, pivot and stretch to meet increasing client and/or agency need?
When the pandemic hit, things were changing so fast that I had no time to think about it or panic and I didn’t realize how serious it was at first. The offices became empty. Only people who needed to be onsite, including me, came in, and everyone else worked from home, but we all quickly pulled together to help each other. I was no longer just a volunteer coordinator, I took on rental cases as well as helping in the pantry. If a colleague needed my help with anything, I would step in to help if at all possible, all while still fulfilling my job responsibilities coordinating volunteers.
Was there a seminal moment/incident during this past year when you realized just how much the pandemic is/was impacting your clients and/or workload?
I received so many emails and calls from people asking how they could help. Some people wanted to make a monetary donation and others wanted to donate their time. We had City of Mountain View workers coming in to help us in the pantry each week. We were able to build new relationships and connections. It was great to see the community pulling together during a difficult time.
What keeps you going at work during times of great uncertainty … like COVID-19?
What keeps me going is being able to make an impact by connecting with volunteers and placing them in a program that benefits our mission. My relationship with each of the volunteers and my coworkers is precious. We completely support each other, which allows me to continue working with some sense of security during a time where we still don’t completely know what to expect.
Great photo, great interview. Keep up the wonderful work you are doing, LaDrea!
Very good interview and a great picture of you, LaDrea. You’ve come a long way. Keep up the good work!
LaDrea:
I admire you, what you do, and how you do it.
. . . Walt