This year’s program also previewed the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity’s Global Day of Inclusion, which will launch formally in 2023. As part of the preview, staff could register for events with a DEI focus, including a keynote by Kennesaw State University social studies education professor Sohyun An on the racialization of epidemics, as well as a scavenger hunt that led participants to uncover DEI-related resources throughout campus.

Making a positive community impact, too, was a big component of the day. One of this year’s service offerings, which in prior years have included activities like park clean-ups, tree planting and even a world record-breaking event, centered on bringing joy to children in the foster care system. In a session that had to have its registration capped because it was so in-demand, staff decorated panels to be attached to brand-new, personalized duffel bags for kids to transport their belongings and crafted inspiring birthday cards and boxes for children who don’t always get the chance to be celebrated.

Chantelle Tangui organized the session in partnership with the YearUp National Alumni Association, where she serves as the board’s Northeast regional representative. Tangui, an instructional technology specialist in University Human Resources, is an alumna of YearUp’s job training program and says she jumps at every chance to make projects like this happen. The decision to fold her community service work into her role at the University through Staff Development Day was an obvious choice.

“I love being a connector,” Tangui said. “Connecting people to resources, opportunities, organizations, other people — I love it. And getting to see the result of all these different connections within our community of staff is so rewarding.”

For some of the participants, the decision to register for that session in particular was personal.

Dawn Browne, a therapist at Counseling and Psychological Services, said that at the beginning of her career, she worked with children in the foster care system and felt compelled to give back.

“As a mom, it’s just heart-wrenching to think about a child not having something special on their birthday or other holidays,” she said. “But I know the weight of their experience and the impact that something as simple as this can have on these kids. Whatever I can do to help — especially children — I will.”

That sentiment was echoed by Tina Botelho, who said she chose the session because she “wanted to do something that would have the biggest impact on the smallest people.” Botelho works in financial and administrative services as a finance specialist and is no stranger to service; in her 32 years at the University, she’s attended every Staff Development Day hosted at Brown and hopes to spend her days after retirement as a hospital volunteer in neonatal intensive care units.

Botelho sat next to colleague Sheena Gilliard, a student account representative whose husband grew up in foster care and encouraged her to register for the session. As they decorated duffel bag panels with stars, butterflies and inspirational messages, the two reflected on the impact that simply brightening someone’s day might have.

“It’s never not worth it,” Botelho said as others gathered around the table, smiling and nodding in agreement.

“It’s never not worth it,” they repeated.