Living Our Values: Haley Creates Impact Volunteering on Sabbatical in Spain
What if you could take a month-long paid sabbatical from your job? What would you do? This question was no hypothetical icebreaker for our brand art director Haley Hollenbach. She was faced with the real-life opportunity to do whatever she wanted after being offered a sabbatical in celebration of her seven year anniversary at Red Orange. She chose to spend part of it on a volunteer mission trip abroad.
Haley visited Spain with her local church who partners with Serge, an organization that provides missionary care to children. She dedicated her time to childcare for third culture kids who tend to struggle with a sense of belonging. She spent her days with high-school aged children leading bible studies, playing games, eating meals, and playing sports together.
Here’s Haley’s story of creating impact on her sabbatical:
What’s something that you learned or something that challenged you during this experience?
This experience forced me out of my comfort zone by giving me opportunities to meet and collaborate with new people. Additionally, I typically volunteer with younger children so working with high schoolers was new, challenging, and exciting!
What does “create impact” mean to you? Why is it important to uphold this core value?
Creating impact means being willing to spend intentional time with someone and enter into their world. It’s important because it reminds us that we’re a part of a bigger story outside of ourselves.
How does Red Orange encourage your efforts to give back to the community?
Red Orange has not only supported but celebrated my decision to spend a 10-day sabbatical volunteering abroad. It’s a true indication of how deeply they value people and creating environments that encourage selflessness and connection.
What advice would you give someone who wants to become more involved in their community?
Find a need in your local community. Take a friend with you and take the first step. I am very involved with my church, so I started by volunteering at church events.
Creating Impact at Red Orange
One of our core values at Red Orange is to create impact. We are passionate about using our gifts and talents to make a difference and we inspire others to do the same. That means we work together as a team on volunteer activities and pro-bono projects. But it also means that many of our team members actively volunteer and donate their time and talent to causes that hold meaning to them.
We’re inspired by Haley and her dedication to serving others. As part of our mission, the Red Orange team is committed to volunteering in our community, serving nonprofits and using our business as a force for good. Learn more about the Red Orange Impact here.
