Cecily Gordon volunteers with UWATX in many capacities and brings along a fantastic group of philanthropic and fun co-workers from eBay! Cecily is currently serving on our Logistics committee, planning the inaugural year of Ruthless Good: The Great Austin Scavenger Hunt. She brings tons of passion and great ideas to everything she touches and she personally coordinated a holiday meal kit drive at eBay in November to ensure that families at Webb Middle School would have access to a delicious Thanksgiving meal. From Family Volunteer Days to community clean-ups throughout Austin, eBay is a valued partner of UWATX and Cecily is leading the charge to make Austin Greater!
Get to know more about Cecily and eBay’s volunteer engagement in our Q and A below.
How long have you been involved with UWATX?
I have had the pleasure of partnering with UWATX since early 2015.
What kind of volunteer projects has eBay done?
Being involved in the community is something eBay holds very dear. By partnering with UWATX, we have been able to provide our employees with opportunities to serve in a variety of ways over the past year, from community beautification projects, charity fun runs, working with the elderly & youth, family volunteer days & our Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive which supports the families of Webb Middle School.
What reactions have you seen from fellow employees regarding eBay’s volunteer efforts?
We have an exceptional group of people who work at our Austin Campus, service & charitable giving is ingrained in what we do here. Getting out in the community & connecting with others on a personal level is something that each employee looks forward to & requests more frequent opportunities to do so.
Why do you give back to UWATX?
UWATX is a phenomenal organization! They make it easy to get out & give back in the community by doing all the leg work for you & providing you with options to serve. Nikki, Brad & Molly are not only the most genuinely nice people you’ll ever meet, but they are a true joy to work with & have made my job easy when it comes to providing our employees with options to serve.
What has been your favorite volunteer project with UWATX?
My personal favorite volunteer project has been our Thanksgiving Food Drive. In 2015, through donations from eBay & employees, we were able to provide over 700 meals for families of Webb Middle School. It was so humbling to see everyone in the office come together & give back as one collective unit. Due to the overwhelming response, UWATX had to rent the largest U-Haul money can buy & we filled the entire thing full! Looking back on truly joyous days at work, that one tops them all.
Do you have a funny or interesting story about volunteering with UWATX?
I have had so many great experiences volunteering with UWATX, it’s hard to narrow it down to the funniest or most interesting! At the final Family Volunteer Day that took place recently at UWATX campus, I was in charge of helping children make ornaments to be displayed at Webb Middle School. With paint, glitter, glue & other various craft supplies provided, you would think it’d be the children that would have made the biggest mess. Nope! It was my fully grown adult coworker that in a span of 1 minute knocked over everything on one table & somehow managed to unplug a glue gun that was in the opposite corner of the room. It was such a funny chain of events that all the children were laughing & it set the whole mood for the room for the rest of the event.
Why do you believe others should give back?
My personal philosophy is “To live will be an awfully big adventure”. I believe that everyone should give back in their community, whether it be in a small or large way, because not only will it add to your own personal story, but it helps shape someone else’s adventure. The can of food that you donate could help a struggling mother feed her children. The litter that you pick up off the side of the road could improve the quality of our air. Every charitable act has a ripple effect that will make this world a better place & that fact is exciting to think about! We all have the opportunity to make positive changes in this world, we just have to decide to do it.
And just for fun…
If you could plan your dream concert with any three artists (living or not) who would be on that stage?
I’d have Stevie Nick & Tom Petty open the show, followed by Queen & wrapping with Michael Jackson. Can you even imagine how amazing that show would be?! I would cry the happiest of tears!
What are you most thankful for?
Life & all the crazy things in it.
What is the number one skill someone will need to dominate in the Ruthless Good scavenger hunt this April?
Adaptability. Scavenger hunts can become high stress really quickly when working with a group of people. Being able to adapt to each situation & find a creative solution is going to be key!