Scary, Goofy and Always Creative Jack-o-Laterns with the Boys and Girls Club

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halloween pumpkin carving

October 24, 2008 San Francisco, CA USA

 

The saleforce.com team grouped up with the Boys and Girls Club of America to create scary, goofy and always creative jack-o-lanterns. Peter Stern, Manager Small Business Group shares the excitement of day:

 

The kids were full of energy and excitement – clearly loving the attention of their new corporate friends. Interestingly, the most energized person of all was Mark, the director of the club.  Mark’s energy was contagious and the children clearly appreciated it.  From the minute we entered the door of the club Mark expressed his gratitude for our outreach and participation with the organization.  He effortlessly gathered the children with launched the project like a pro.  The kids lined up single file as we approached the group. They proceeded to walk with a big grin as they carefully selected their pumpkin and teammate.

“I have two at home, so this will be my third” exclaimed 10 year old Andrew as he sunk his knife into the bright orange pumpkin.  Globs of seeds and pumpkin innards soaked the newspaper that lay on each table.  Smiling kids could be heard plotting their next move as they cut out each piece of the seasonal squash.  Some kids wanted to use the intricate paper templates that were provided while others preferred to free-hand their creations.  

Three hours and a plethora of pumpkins later each child had finished their very own design.  They lined the front of the building with their holiday creations so they could greet the parents upon pickup.  

After the mess had been cleared and hands washed, Mark invited us to the basketball court so they could express their appreciation to the group.  They presented a banner exclaiming “thank you” spelled out in skeleton-shaped characters as we took a group picture.  The kids then ran to the playground to finish off the day while Mark gave us a tour of the club.  

At the end of the event I was not sure who had more fun – the kids or the adults. Working with the children brought each one of us back to our own childhood.    We are all grateful to have shared the experience, and look forward to future foundation events – they are one of best perks of the job.