Wouldn’t it be nice to get to know your co-workers better — and do a little good at the same time?       

This was the thought that Dimetra Diggs-Butler had in mind when she approached Lynda House, director of human resources for the College of Engineering (COE), with her idea to start COE Cares.

“I kept thinking about all of the volunteer opportunities available to us as at Tech and how so many people aren’t aware of them,” said Diggs-Butler, academic program coordinator in the School of Mechanical Engineering. “I thought that a program like COE Cares would help educate people about these opportunities and would also provide a chance to get to know colleagues.”

Last year, the COE Cares initiative launched, complete with a monthly e-newsletter and monthly service project that all members of the COE community are invited to participate in. In addition to promoting community and service, the initiative also aims to educate faculty and staff about health and wellness topics.

The COE Cares committee, which meets monthly, is made up of a representative from each of the college’s schools and two representatives from the dean’s office. Each member is responsible for picking a theme for one or two months during the year and organizing an activity around it. (This approach ensures the time commitment for each member isn’t overwhelming. Diggs-Butler estimates that she spent about five hours in total planning for her activity.) Projects are funded with money from the dean’s office budget as well as donations from the committee.

“One of the events last year was a lunch party where we invited people to stop in for pizza and write a card to a soldier in Afghanistan,” Diggs-Butler said. “We were so pleased to be able to send 400 cards to soldiers.”

Another month, the theme was cold and flu prevention. The committee members created cold and flu prevention kits to distribute throughout the college, which included hand sanitizer and Chef Larry’s (of GT Dining Services) chicken soup.

“I’m just so excited that COE Cares has taken off,” Diggs-Butler said. “It’s such an easy way to help build a sense of community among faculty and staff members. Hopefully, other units will want to create similar initiatives so that employees across Tech will have easy access to these types of opportunities.”

Questions? Contact coe-cares@gatech.edu.