Community Service Day 2002

My employer is owned by USA Interactive, a Barry Diller controlled company. USA Interactive has a tradition (probably all of a couple of years old now...) of a Community Service Day, where you get some time off to perform "meaningful work in your local community" that "aid the less fortunate and enrich the lives of our respective communities." Those are quotes from Barry Diller.

So my employer has chosen the following two programs for our company's participation: the Washington Trails Association and the Metro Bus Shelter Murals Program.

While both are nice, and marginally enrich the lives of our respective communities, neither aid the the less fortunate. Not in a meaningful way at least. It feels like a cop-out to me. Why not a soup kitchen, or food bank, or Seattle or East King County Habitat for Humanity?

The company's choices are too damn safe.

And yes, I am not just carping here. I sent a nice note to our CEO and VP of Human Resources explaining my reservations about their choices.