Volunteer Story: Martine

Martine is one of those people who seem to have more hours in her day than the rest of us. When she was asked to help organize a volunteer event, she was all over it.

“I’m all-in on volunteering! I think it’s in my constitution to help. It’s so natural for me to get involved however I can. I feel very whole when I’m helping out, giving somebody something a hand. That’s a good thing for me.”

Martine is a lead brand designer for 3M, designing packaging for the consumer business group. She was part of the group that was on-site on a recent project at Saint Paul, MN’s Central High School.

Why does she think it’s important for companies to give back to their community?

“It’s in their best interest as a corporation. Sometimes, people think about the bad stuff of a “big company,” which isn’t always fair. And every opportunity to give back is so important! For me, before I was full-time with 3M, these types of events were a way to network and get to know more people. Now, I like getting the chance to see my coworker’s personalities and skills outside of the day-to-day work. It’s really fun!”

Her energy is contagious. With a long list of to-dos and a diligent group of people ready to go, she has a way of setting the energy high for everyone. She has good things to say about HOA, too.

“I’m really impressed with Heart of America. I don’t know why we can’t fund schools with the money they need to thrive, which makes your work so important. What you do is very cool.”

What wise words of advice would she offer? “Brains do magical things when they are allowed time to wander.”

We love that, Martine. Thanks for being a hand-raiser and for your friendship. We couldn’t do it without you.