Year of Impact
by Rachel Liebergall
As we close out October and we look for motivation to close out the year, I find myself constantly reflecting on this year’s past Week of Impact and want to inspire all of us to maintain this giveback momentum over these next two months. I know I speak for many IBMers when I say that this year’s Week of Impact was one of our best yet, seeing work transition between remote and in-person giveback, while expanding our boundaries to new clients and ideas. I truly am proud to be an IBMer: proud of my team, proud of my client, proud of my NYC community and proud to be a part of a group that shows up and wants to drive change.
I specifically took part in 4 events that showcased the great potential of Week of Impact, internally and externally. The first was a session with Feel the Beat, an organization centered around sharing the art of dance with the deaf community and raising hearing impaired awareness. I joined a group of IBMers across IBM Consulting, working together to learn sign language and see how we can play a part in helping the deaf community. All smiles and my first all camera on session in a while, it was not only educational but a truly pleasant break of the day, collaborating with my community while learning some new sign language phrases!
The week continued with my client side, working with Lumen to align on a common organization and planning events for our combined communities. The work with Lumen CSR allowed me to see that CSR is a shared key of success to both IBM and our clients — eager to work with us to plan an event that drove the most impact, to be shared with our entire team. Through multiple games of trivia for Girlstart and P-tech, we were able to educate others on careers in technology, IBM and cybersecurity while coming together as one.
The week culminated in Brooklyn, where I joined multiple NYC based IBMers (many I had not yet met) in building a new urban farm to support the Campaign Against Hunger. Getting our hands dirty, we laid the roots for a new healthy food supply, serving communities in need with healthy food choice opportunities. Not only did I get to see the difference we made directly (felt the burn of the shovel for sure), but I got to spend time with new and old faces, seeing how truly amazing our comm can be.
We are a group that is not only smart, amazing, talented, driven…..,the list goes on and on, but a group that values corporate social responsibility and wants to collectively use our power to drive change. I hope everyone had as meaningful of a week as I did, and as we close out these next two months, reflect on how we can continue to uphold the true meaning of being an IBMer. I am proud to be an IBMer: proud of my team, proud of my client, proud of my NYC community and proud to be a part of a group that shows up and wants to drive change.
