Giving back so others
don’t give up.
“By helping people
human-to-human,
you see your impact.
You can feel it.”
Cynthia, Sales Advisor Cork, Ireland
You were born and raised in France, then joined Apple in Ireland?
Answer:Yes. Although Apple has teams across Europe, mine has been based in Cork for years. People come from everywhere to work for Apple here — I think we have something like 90 nationalities.
What do you do on the Advisor team?
Answer:I help our customers by phone, mainly Europeans. Parlez-vous français in your work? Oui! And English when you’re not at work? I try! That’s one reason I joined Apple’s volunteering efforts straightaway. To improve your English? Well, yes at first, and then I realised how good it feels to give back.
“It’s a chance to really connect with people. And it’s made me feel so welcome in this country.”
What kinds of projects do volunteers support in Cork?
Answer: Many different kinds. One example I love is the letters of hope we wrote and illustrated to welcome refugees here. Like handmade greeting cards? Kind of, though very genuine and compassionate. By reading them, new arrivals also had a chance to improve their English. That sounds familiar. Oh yes! In volunteer work, both sides of the relationship learn something.
“We all talk about the charities and causes we care about. It’s a volunteering culture.”
What inspired the letters of hope project?
Answer:That was to celebrate global Africa Day. We partnered with a local charity through Black@Apple Cork, one of Apple’s Diversity Network Associations. You were a founding member, right? For Cork, yes. Black@Apple members from other locations helped us get started here.
“Our Diversity Network Associations are one of the things I love most here — we support our cultural connections.”
So you can donate time in different ways.
Answer:More than time — Apple gives charities US$25 for each hour each employee volunteers. That must add up. It does, because there’s something for everyone: outdoor conservation, animal welfare, and for me, I like the immediate, human-to-human contact. I come from Lyon, a much bigger city, but I had never helped others so directly before.
“Honestly, our volunteer programmes really opened my eyes about people’s needs.”
When the eyes open, the heart follows.
Answer:It’s true. I’ve now volunteered to help cancer patients, the elderly, the homeless and others — almost every week starting in my first year. No wonder Apple invited you to become a Volunteer Champion. I was nervous about managing events, but other volunteers told me, “You’ll love it — you know what you’re doing!”
You seem like a natural.
Answer:It’s my nature to be empathetic, to listen to people, then try to help. These are also skills I use in my role at Apple, and I’m always improving. So I’m very comfortable talking one-to-one with people. As a Volunteer Guide told me when I started, “Just be yourself, honey!” In Ireland, lots of people call you honey!
Illustrated on iPad.