Carrie Peña is the Director of Grants & Communications for Career Compass of Louisiana. She has been with the organization since 2012. Her favorite part of her job is sharing the accomplishments of Career Compass students with the world.
Who knew that 2020 would be such a weird and life-changing year? Looking back to my New Year’s resolutions for 2020, I have to laugh. Work out more? Yep, done. I now have a makeshift home gym where you can find me six days a week. I no longer go to the gym. Instead, I have installed a janky floor mat to protect my rug and my dumbbells are mismatched, so yes, I am definitely working out more.
Another resolution I made was to volunteer more in my community. Growing up in a family of Army veterans, I learned the value of service to others at an early age. So how would I go about performing my own acts of service in 2020? Ummmmm… yeah. That one was tricky. How do you do hands-on volunteering, like Meals on Wheels, during a global pandemic? What about volunteering at an equine therapy facility, assisting differently-abled children? Knowing that there were needs going unmet made me rethink how my value of service had to change. And this year, there have been so many unmet needs.
I know that everything has changed for everyone. This year has been a sad one, and many people we love will not be at our Thanksgiving table this year. Things that we took for granted as being “normal” or “routine” have been turned upside down. Going into an office to work became a luxury, back to school rituals were completely undone, celebrations were observed differently…
Forgive me for relying on this overused word, but PIVOTING in 2020 is the thing we learned to do really well in 2020. Instead of clinging to the past and staying stuck, all of us had to PIVOT in some way.
In my work at Career Compass of Louisiana, my colleagues took pivoting to a new level. We had to change how we served our students, to make sure that they received the extra support and encouragement they needed when schools were shut down. Our face-to-face proven model became obsolete overnight, when everyone in Louisiana was told to stay home. Kids looking for career guidance and someone to talk to couldn’t just walk down the hall to see a friendly face.
Now that 2020 is nearing its end, the work is not over, not by any means. Some of our school district partners need us to meet virtually with their students, while others asked us to provide a combination of face-to-face and virtual services. We’ve had to be flexible in how we work with our students. And let me tell you, being flexible at this enormous scale is not easy! We plan to serve 49,793 students this year, in 266 public schools. And we need to keep supporting them through August 2021, when they can graduate high school with plans for the future.
But we do it because we must, and we know that the unexpected stresses in our students’ lives require it. All of them need a path to the future, and a plan for life after graduation. They need to look forward to something good, and have some certainty that life will not always look the way it does today.
Here’s how you can help: On November 24 - December 1, we are participating in 225 Gives, an online giving competition through which nonprofits can win prize money to support their work. The more donations we receive, the more prize money we win.
And here’s how we plan to use your donation: Any funds raised would go towards technology improvements for our college & career coaches. Our college & career coaches have elevated “the pivot” to an artform. They have been adaptable, and more importantly, steadfast in their commitment to our students. And they need your help because their current technology is not up to the challenge of virtually serving thousands of students. Without the right tools, even the best employee, volunteer, student, anyone -- can experience challenges. Let me tell you, it’s not easy to provide virtual services when your technology is not up to par.
On November 24, the 225 Gives giving portal will launch and remain open until December 1. We hope that you can pivot alongside us and equip our amazing coaches with the technology to serve our students this school year. Here’s how:
Visit our 225Gives page and:
Donate any amount starting on November 24! No amount is too small -- or too big!
Or -- start a fundraising page of your own any time before November 24. With a fundraiser you can challenge friends, family, and others to raise money through your own unique page.
As I look into my crystal ball, all I can say is that I don’t know what 2021 will look like. I learned in 2020 that “service” means so much more than showing up for a volunteer shift. It means being flexible and rethinking what “service” looks like. It means giving up some events and gatherings to keep others safe. If I could venture a guess, you’re reading this blog post because you’ve learned the same lesson. We hope that you join Career Compass’ 225Gives efforts to ensure that kids have a sounding board, an advocate, and a plan for the future, even in this most trying of times.
Read more about 225Gives:
Want more? The Career Compass mobile app is available for free in the App Store and Google Play. Students and their parents can find scholarships, FAFSA and TOPS information, ACT and SAT reminders, application dates, important reminders, and more!
You can also check us out on Instagram and Facebook @careercompassla to see what we’re up to and to get important updates.
Image by 225Gives Campaign.