October 13, 2023
Another summer has officially ended, and we were lucky enough to participate in TWO playground builds this year.
At the end of August and the beginning of September, Pasonites volunteered to help construct playgrounds at Calgary Christian Elementary School in South Calgary and the Girl Guide Camp Jubilee in Cochrane! Pasonites are generous in nature and enjoy volunteering for these events, not just to give back but also to spend time with coworkers and have fun.
Cole, Test Intern, volunteered for the Calgary Christian Elementary School build. He said he volunteered for one of this year's builds for the camaraderie and teamwork.
"Getting to build something as a team was a rewarding and engaging experience throughout the day," he said. "Seeing so much of the structure standing after a day's work was remarkable."
Cole added that prior to him joining Pason, employees built the playground at his elementary/ junior high school a couple of years ago.
"I saw the positive impact it had on the kids in my neighbourhood," he said. "I wanted to give back to another community of kids when I had the chance at Pason."
Anh, Systems Test Analyst, also volunteered at the Calgary Christian School build, held from Aug. 30-Sept. 1, 2023. She said the opportunity to volunteer every year to build playgrounds is one of the most valuable traditions at Pason.
"Especially being a mom of two, there is no greater motivation than envisioning happy children enjoying something we help build," Anh said, adding that learning about the construction side of what goes into a build is one of the best parts of attending.
Seeing the finished product of a build and giving back to the community is why Kendrick Ankamah, Software Developer Test, enjoys participating in this initiative.
"My favourite part about volunteering is seeing the final build of the playground on the last day and what it looks like and what all the work over the previous days has produced," he said.
Sydney, Software Developer, has fond memories of playing on the playground as a kid. This, besides socializing with coworkers, is why she volunteered for this year's build.
A specific highlight of the build for Sydney was, "Near the end of the day, a little girl came by to check out the new playground. We'd recently finished assembling the Hold-N-Spin spinner, so we had her take it for a spin. Seeing the joy on her face as she spun around was absolutely priceless!”
On Sept. 11-12, 2023, Pasonites volunteered for another build in Cochrane at the Girl Guide Camp Jubilee.
Mike, Manager, Rigsite Software, was among the volunteers for the September build.
"I volunteered because I want to help Pason contribute to our community," Mike said. "In every case, these playgrounds need the capable help Pasonites provide – there's a better chance of a safe playground completed on time. I've visited playgrounds we built in previous years, and they're all being well used and enjoyed!"
Mike said participating in these projects is excellent for meeting coworkers he wouldn't normally interact with.
"I always get to know someone I would probably not in my day-to-day life."
Cass, Global Receiver, agreed. "My favourite part is seeing the returning crew that we volunteer through and working with fellow Pasonites I don't normally get to."
She added that she likes doing something for the community that kids will use for many years to come.
Craig, Vice-President, Cloud Platform & Applications, also attended and has volunteered in Pason playground builds since he started with Pason. This year, Craig and one of the teams he leads volunteered together. He said it felt good to accomplish something as a unit.
“I do it for a couple of reasons," he said, adding that he agreed with Mike and Cass about getting to know other Pasonites in a casual environment. "Also, I appreciate the opportunity to enjoy a full day outside. Normally, I'm behind a desk every day. The playground build is a chance to do different work on what usually turns out to be a beautiful day."
The Girl Guides build is one that Jordan, Project Manager, volunteered for expressly due to a friend's experience with the organization.
"I have a friend who has been very involved in Girl Guides her entire life and has talked about how much she loved attending the camp and all of her hours spent there when she was younger, so it seemed like a really great way to get involved on her behalf as well," he said, adding that like many other Pasonites, seeing the structure come together from start to finish is a favourite of his.
What a great summer of playground builds. As always, Pason’s Facilities team was behind the organization of these opportunities to volunteer. Great work, Pasonites!
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