Unless you’re living under a rock, you’re undoubtedly familiar with “Superstorm Sandy” and the devastation left in its wake. Up and down the eastern seaboard, there are countless stories—many untold—of families losing all they have and all they know in this unprecedented storm.
Enter Atlantic City—just slightly south of ground zero of Sandy’s October 29th land fall. And home of New Jersey’s famed casino industry. And home to hundreds of people employed at said casinos. And (pseudo) home to me. While the devastation portrayed in the media erroneously focused on the “destruction of the boardwalk” (newsflash: the boards that were “washed away” were already mostly condemned and set to be removed; the historic boards on the main strip were unscathed), the real devastation could be found in some of the residential neighborhoods.
And that’s where my efforts have been focused for the past two weeks. Along with my fellow regional HR leaders, I have been knee-deep in team member recovery and relief efforts for the last 14 days. In less than 48 hours we launched a centralized employee assistance center to support 13K employees, created a temporary housing solution for employees who lost everything and needed shelter, and organized a food distribution for team members with immediate needs. Additionally, we have organized volunteers, a food/clothing/furniture/supplies drive, a social outing for displaced team members staying in our hotel, and several other significant support initiatives. I have been impressed by the company’s commitment to doing the right thing during this time (our response has been incredibly unique in the market thus far) and I am blessed to be a part of the leadership team driving strategy and execution of our regional relief efforts….
Esther 4:14
“…and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Admittedly there have been times in the recent past where I’ve asked myself “what the heck are you doing here??” (…for a few reasons—not the least of which is that it would be nice to live w/my husband; how’s that for a novel concept??).
Then, I find myself—my skills, my strengths, and my efforts—activated in such a way and wonder if the answer is…
“For such a time as this.”
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| Food distribution to team members |
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