Stanford employees unite to give back to their communities

Stanford faculty and staff celebrated generosity by participating in 968 acts of kindness during the sixth annual, and second virtual, Cardinal at Work Cares. Our community found meaningful ways to make a positive difference in the lives of others. We helped strangers, comforted our loved ones and donated our time and resources to help make someone else’s life better. We engaged in small acts of kindness, such as paying for a stranger’s coffee or listening to a friend in need, and acts that required more time and space, like organizing donation drives, mentoring students or fostering animals.

Throughout November, Cardinal at Work Cares encouraged employees to celebrate Stanford’s legacy of service. Our community shared their compassionate acts of kindness to show the scale of our collective efforts and to inspire others in new ways of giving.

No matter how big or small an act is or what the time of year is, we encourage you to continue to spread kindness in your communities. You can view a list of organizations and ideas of how you can get involved on the Cardinal at Work website. Visit the website to view the photo gallery, and read on for some of the ways that we participated in November.

How we gave back

I filled stockings for the elderly to distribute at the VA hospital during the holidays. Brandy Kahlig

Offered to help provide meals, run errands, send notes of support, or anything else for the friend of a friend who was just diagnosed with cancer last week. Victoria Von Schell

Donated baby food and formula to Samaritan House in San Mateo. Eun Young Choi

My family and I volunteered for 2 hours cleaning the beach from plastics and debris. We were able to collect a whole 10 lbs of garbage. It was a very rewarding experience. Ruben Curiel

Purchased AAA Roadside assistance to a less fortunate single mother of three kids under the age of six years old. Cindy Ochoa

Our department is participating in a holiday gift drive through Family Giving Tree. The drive will run through January, but our 2020 drive netted nearly $1,200 in donations of gifts and essential health supplies to low-income and homeless Bay Area kids and seniors. Executive Education, GSB

I volunteer with an animal rescue. There was an adopter that I really connected with although we never met in person. She has just been diagnosed with stage four cancer and is struggling to care for the three animals she adopted. She asked me to take them and care for them while she is in treatment, with the understanding that she may never be able to take them back. I am getting them on Sunday. Jennifer Padilla-Wong

Monthly donations to Partners In Health (PIH) and Know Your Rights Camp (KYRC). KYRC is a free campaign for youth to raise awareness on higher education, self-empowerment and interacting with law enforcement. PIH collaborates with national governments to provide healthcare and strengthen public health systems in cancer and chronic disease treatment, child health, emergency response, HIV/AIDS, maternal health and more. Matthew Tovar

Been wanting to do this for a while but didn’t get a chance before today … This morning, I made breakfast for my fiance and his colleagues and brought it to their office. What better time than Acts of Kindness week! Anonymous

I send money every month to a disabled child in Kenya towards her education. I met her through a Stanford MD student from Kenya. Kelly Walsh

This year I am giving back to my hometown, Brentwood (East Bay – Northern California) with the City of Brentwood’s Senior Holiday Card Campaign. I will be writing in handmade cards of appreciation to be given out at the Community Center in November. I will also be providing a donation for the Adopt-A-Senior campaign which allows seniors the resources to enjoy the holiday season. I am thankful my hometown city has created this program to give back directly to the senior community. Lauren Conder

I started a nonprofit in honor of my son, who passed away from cancer. We help families year-round with the resources needed in caring for their sick children. Lakeshia Phillips-Marshall

Helped provide vaccine resources for my child’s school now that elementary kids are approved for vaccination. Heather Pankow

I had a remaining balance on my gift card and asked the Associate to use it towards the next person’s coffee. Anonymous

Organized 10 welcome kits (bathroom supplies, face masks, hand sanitizer, etc.) for incoming Afghan refugees and their families and donated to the International Rescue Committee of San Jose. Anonymous

The Office of Pediatric Education is partnering with the Family Giving Tree to host a Holiday Wish Drive! Members of our education community have an opportunity to sign up and help fulfill a holiday wish. We will be collecting the gifts at our upcoming community event on Nov. 19. We have committed to helping fulfill at least 50 wishes – doing our part to help children and individuals most in need through the Bay Area. Charlene Rotandi

I gave my extra new mask to a stranger in front of me in line who was told, after they’d stood in the line for 30 minutes, that they couldn’t enter and attend an expensive event experience for which they’d purchased tickets because their mask didn’t meet code requirements. Anonymous

I partnered with other friends to host an event to foster an idea of cultural diversity and to provide opportunities for young children to learn about different cultures around the world. Jennifer Pan

During and following the lockdown, I saw that people often had walking as their option for getting out and getting some exercise. I decided to enhance their walking experience by making 35 “gnomes,” just a bit bigger than a wine cork, and placed them in various spots around the main block. People slowly started to notice them and it eventually became a challenge to walk and see how many one could find. Kids loved it and sometimes made their own gnomes and added to the collection. Some people added accessories to them. There were many notes of appreciation on the neighborhood Facebook page as well as by word of mouth. The people loved the mystery of it. Heather Bolei

I am collecting donations of warm gently used sweaters and coats for the farmworkers. They are such an essential part of our lives, yet they are very underpaid. They wear sweaters to protect themselves from the sun and pesticides. It genuinely makes me happy to be able to give back. Ranjanni Reddy

I am the room parent for my child’s classroom. Anonymous

I did fundraising for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s and raised a total of $2,585 to help find a cure for the disease. Mike Friedman

Mentoring a HS student via icouldbe.org. Mentoring a first-generation college student at an HBCU via GlobalMindED. Walt Ashe

I like to purchase coffee at the drive-thru for the person behind me! I like to purchase a bag of groceries at my local supermarket for Second Harvest whenever I can. Pick up groceries for my elderly neighbors if they need something – always ask them when I am heading to Costco or grocery store! Brenda Rehbein

Our team (Office of Pediatric Education) coordinated an effort to collect gifts for the Family Giving Tree organization, dedicated to serving in-need children with wished-for holiday gifts, backpacks filled with school supplies, toothbrushes etc. Our goal was to fulfill 50 gifts/wishes with help from colleagues in the department. Sarina Tom

A student at the post office wasn’t carrying enough cash and didn’t have a credit card. She was trying to pay for the transaction with her iPhone which isn’t allowed at the Post Office. With a long line of customers, I offered to pay for her postage. It was a small fee and I felt it was the least I could do. I have been in that position myself a few times before. She was so sweet and grateful. It felt wonderful to be helpful! Maridee Huston-Charlton

I foster mom cats with babies for the local Humane Society. By fostering these cats, it opens up more space in the shelter for other animals in need of rescue. Chris Queen

Participated in beach clean-up with the Department of Orthopaedic surgery group at Poplar Beach in Half Moon Bay. The event was hosted by the Surfrider foundation. Chris Jamero

Volunteered in the elementary school classrooms in Ravenswood School District in East Palo Alto/East Menlo Park with ‘All Students Matter.’ Andrea Chan

A dear friend is a professor at SJSU and put out an ask for friends to mentor her students. So many of her students are first-gen and struggling with school/life balance. I’m excited to meet my student! Linda Lydon

To combat local food insecurity, we’re donating to Second Harvest Food Bank, Ecumenical Hunger Program and Hunger at Home. Judy Logan

We brought dinner to our neighbors who just had a baby! Edith Ho

A student in the class I’m co-teaching was robbed at gunpoint last week. Her laptop, phone and wallet were all taken. We rallied together as a teaching team to support her by listening, sharing words of encouragement and sending her cash so she could eat and take care of her needs. Anonymous

Listening with an open heart and eyes to an elderly neighbor who has been sheltering in her home since the beginning of COVID. She calls at various times during the day and I also drop by to chat at a safe distance at her door. Anne Dazey