Giving back has always been an important part of the values system here at Cresta. However, this took on increased importance to us when we lost Alfredo Dominguez tragically in June. A valued member of our team, Alfredo was passionate about his six dogs and our Customer Success team wanted to pay tribute to him with a day of volunteer work in his honor and memory.
Last week, our Customer Success team – everywhere from the United States to Brazil – took a day off with a number of different organizations that give back to the community.
Chris Reese, our Director of Customer Value, had the opportunity to volunteer with the Red Cross:
“Last weekend there was a fire consuming about 2500 acres 90 miles outside San Diego. The evacuation area was large so we opened up an evacuation shelter for people displaced from their homes. At the shelter, which was a high school gym in this case, we provide meals and a place to sleep. It ends up being a spot for firefighters to come as well and take a breath.
Folks in that area have tons of pets and livestock which they are not able to take with them during an evacuation. We worked with the evacuees and animal control to make sure that all animals were fed and protected from the fires. During my time there we worked with animal control to tend to two dozen animals, all of which made it without harm.”
Rachel Bloch, one of our Conversational AI Designers, worked to incorporate her own passions into something that could meaningfully give back to one of Alfredo’s passions:
“Although working directly with animals isn’t really my thing – the only pet I’ve ever had is a tiny little hamster – I still wanted to contribute to something he was passionate about. To do so, I hosted a mini bake-sale. I sold homemade loaves of bread to my neighbors and was able to raise over $120, all of which was donated to Best Friends Animal Society NYC.
Best Friends is a non-profit organization that works to save homeless animals from euthanasia by providing healthcare, resources, and working to place them in loving homes. By sharing homemade treats with neighbors and raising money for a local cause, I was able to support my own community and also hope I honored Alfredo and his love for animals.”
Leslie Vasquez, Conversational Analyst with Cresta, worked with some of her team to volunteer at Feed My Starving Children, an organization that works to feed malnourished and hungry children across more than 70 countries.
“We enjoyed spending time packing meals for families and children!”
Gabriela de Andrade, Cresta’s Conversation Analyst Manager, worked alongside local friends in Brazil to volunteer in Alfredo’s honor as well:
“I found this very humble animal shelter in the middle of a Favela in Brazil and decided to volunteer there for Alfredo’s volunteer day alongside a handful of my local friends.
The shelter is called Projeto Ajudando Animais de Rua (Helping Stray Animals Project). They currently house 38 cats and a handful of dogs in the shelter itself. They also feed stray cats and dogs all around the Favela daily that are still in the streets.
My friends and I got together and bought them sacks of cat and dog food, treats, blankets, medicine, and even some toys. We took it to the shelter together, helped out with some chores, and got to play with the animals a ton!
One of the best parts of the experience was how some of my friends who had never volunteered before immediately talked about what a good experience it was and how they wanted to do it again and encourage others to do so, too.”
How do you and your team like to give back? We’re looking forward to new opportunities for the Cresta team to continue to volunteer and to honor Alfredo in the process.
