Newsletter

December 2007
Volunteerism: When the need arises

Emily Chin , Intern Class of 2002

This high school nightmare occurred on Dec. 4, 2007, a solid six months since I graduated from college. As it turns out, this bus is filled with young professionals, approximately 18 members of corporate Nike and On Board Entertainment, the marketing agency that I work for. Nike headquarters in Portland, OR, created a Community Involvement Day in response to the devastating wildfires that wracked Southern California from October 20 through November 9 of this year. According to writer Gillian Flaccus of Associated Press, “At least 1,500 homes were destroyed and over 500,000 acres (2,000 km) of land burned from Santa Barbara County to the U.S.–Mexico border.”

As our bus arrives at Bernadino Heights Middle School in San Diego, via the Culver City Nike offices, we see 10 other Nike members, as well as countless volunteers, young and old. It looks like Santa’s workshop, transported from the North Pole to a High School football field. There are countless boxes of Nike apparel and Nike shoes, all pristinely boxed or wrapped in plastic. Ironically, on this day in early December another fire warning alert has been issued –it’s noon and eighty degrees. Regardless of status or seniority, everyone has their sleeves rolled up and getting sweaty, creating Nike care packages for the victims of the wildfires. In this beautiful, affluent neighborhood, many families have lost everything. The majority of those families are still housed in hotels; without a home to return to; without time to rebuild, and without adequate insurance coverage, they must get right back to work.

From 4-8 PM, we create as true a Nike experience as we can. To nearly a couple hundred families hardest hit, Nike extended special invitations and distributed Nike sneakers, sweat suits, socks, shirts, and hats. The kids love it. The parents are thankful for every baby step forward, every little distraction. To these families that escaped with only their lives and the shirts on their backs, I’m thankful that we could give at least one more shirt in time for the holidays.