Volunteering and community involvement have always been an integral part of the SAS culture. During this challenging time, we recognize, more than ever, that one person can help make a difference in many lives, simply by the unselfish act of giving back. These are just a few examples of how SAS employees are reaching out to their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Making Face Shields for Health Care Workers
Scott, a software development senior manager, and David, a principal software developer, are 3D-printing face shield parts for doctors as part of the Masks for Docs effort.
The mask they are making is from a design from Prusa 3D, one of the top printer manufacturers in the world. They open-sourced the design and are printing it on their home printers. “Generally, we’ve been making the frame parts and sending them to be finished by the Masks for Docs team,” David said. “They have the clear plastic parts to attach to the frames.”
David holds a printed piece of the face shield.
“We sent a box of parts to California to help supply hospitals there. We’re continuing to make them every day and will ship more boxes each week,” Scott said. “While I have a small part to play, it is encouraging to be part of a global group of makers who came together quickly to fill in part of the broken supply chain.”
After fellow SAS employee Kim read about Scott and David’s efforts, she reached out to see if they were able to donate a face shield to her husband, a dentist who is still seeing patients for emergency visits. Within the day, Scott was able to get Kim’s husband two face shields to allow him to stay safe while he continues to work.
Making Fabric Masks for Health Care Workers
Catherine is lending a hand, putting her passion for sewing into action to make fabric masks for health care workers.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines allow for using fabric masks under worst-case scenarios, like a pandemic, so Catherine did some research, found a pattern and contacted her neighbors to help. People offered to cut, iron, wash and deliver the finished masks to the hospitals.
“While I could make maybe 20 masks in a weekend working alone, we combined our efforts and have made over 700 masks in six weekends,” she said. “What a fantastic way for the community to come together while staying apart.”
Donating Retired SAS Laptops to Students in Need
The SAS Netherlands office has been donating retired SAS laptops to an organization called Close the Gap for several years. But when the local schools closed as well, Teus asked his son’s teacher if he could help in some way. “I told her that my employer had some older laptops that could be offered out to the school,” he said. Martin, his IT manager, agreed this was a good idea.
“The school contacted me and told me they had a lot of requests from parents who didn’t have a computer available for their child to follow the home school instruction,” Teus said. So he got to work in his dining room preparing the laptops to be sent out through the school.
“I am very proud of the work Teus did to help his son's school,” Martin said. “Most pupils need to attend school lessons remotely, and not all parents can afford a laptop. It is great to work for a company that gives them the power to learn.”
Preparing Meals for the Community
David, a SAS presales support senior manager, and his family have worked at the local food bank at their church in Winchester for many years. But they've stepped things up, packing about 70 bags of food per day to be delivered to those in need. David says he’s proud to work for a company that gives him the flexibility to make this impact on his community. “I can still lead my team and also be able to give back to my community.”
Bridging Language Barriers
Hana, a principal enterprise business analyst at SAS, volunteers with the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) and works with a Syrian family that settled in North Carolina. When the father was laid off due to the virus, Hana began helping to bridge the language barrier for the family. “I am doing my best to keep them aware of announcements and connect them with local resources that are available, like the local schools where they can pick up daily meals for their young children,” Hana said.
Keeping the Passion to Learn Alive
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Brooke and her 10-year-old son, Connor, volunteered to teach art and yoga to students at Gigi's Playhouse, a center of enrichment for children with Down syndrome. In addition to recording workout sessions, Brooke now leads a virtual ballet class. “Teaching them is the highlight of my week. They are so talented and passionate – they teach me way more than I am teaching them."
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