Virginia Tech Stories
Actively Caring is defined as any behavior that exceeds one expectations for helping others, or put simply, an act that goes beyond the call of duty for the welfare of others.
In the fall of 2008, five individuals approached Dr. Geller about creating a culture shift at Virginia Tech and beyond. David, Vince, Joey, Brandon, and Shane purchased 2,000 green “Actively Carting 4 People” wristbands that could be used as a way of “paying-it forward.” When students witness someone else being kind, they are encouraged to thank the person for this kindness, offer him or her their green AC wristband, and ask the person to “pay it forward” when next he or she witnesses an act of kindness. A wristband has the potential to connect us all through acts of kindness and create a more compassionate world.
Use the navigation bar at the top to see select stories from Actively Caring leaders at Virginia Tech!
First, put your mouse over this section and see the names of leaders appear to the right. Read the stories at the bottom of their pages!
1:00 P.M. Greensboro Drive–
Restless from being confined to a cubicle for 8 hours a day, Christine and I decided to alter our routine lunch break.
Instead of a sedentary lunch, we decided to venture around McLean in the warm sunshine. Equipped with flats, a plethora of energy, and an open mind, we began to explore the corporate world. As we passed SAX 5th Avenue, iGOV, SAIC, and Booz Allen, we stumbled upon a cell phone residing on top of a fire hydrant box.
DON’T TOUCH IT, SAM!!! IT COULD BE A BOMB– Christine shrieked as I grabbed it without hesitation. Surely enough, someone had simply misplaced their phone. I proceeded to go through the recent call list, and call ‘mom’. Well, mom didn’t exactly speak English, so ‘Bruce’ became our next target. Bruce informed us that Shawn, the phones’ owner, worked down the road at Monster.
Ten minutes later, we found ourselves on the seventh floor of Monster’s gigantic complex. Instantaneously, a younger man of Persian decent opened the double glass doors, “You two must be the lovely ladies who found my phone. Let me take you out for coffee,” he insisted. We explained that we appreciated his kind gesture; however, we needed to return to work.
Shawn began to inquire about our jobs, education, and ethnicity. After explaining that we are rising seniors at Virginia Tech pursing internships with CVENT, a smile expanded across his face. “Give me your contact information, we will keep in touch, and I will be sure to use my connections with monster (an online job posting database) to guide you through your job search following graduation. It’s the least I can do.” He proceeded to list companies he had close ties with- many of which sounded incredible.”Any company would be lucky to have such caring women like yourselves as their employees.”
Do you believe everything happens for a reason? Because I definitely do. Without any information regarding the cell phone’s owner, we sought out to return it– simply because we wanted to help someone in need. Little did we know, this person could change our lives, as we did his.
I wish I had a green band with me…
Livin’ the dream in the corporate world,
Samantha