Decorating With A Cause

The holidays are a joyous time, traditionally filled with celebrations and expectations, with gifts and gatherings, and with an abundance of festive sights and scents and sounds.  One Chatham County department is going all out to deck their halls with joy while at the same time being mindful of the fact that -- for some -- the Happy Holidays paradoxically can be the very least wonderful time of the year.

The Doors of the Project Management Office are decorated with all the sparkle of the season, but each door also has a theme and a purpose — each door highlights awareness for a meaningful cause.  This time of year can be particularly challenging for people navigating personal struggles and issues, such as those represented on the doors.  PMO’s hope is that their doors serve as a gentle reminder to celebrate the season with compassion, ready to give the gift of a listening ear, a warm hug, or a kind word to those who may be going through difficult times.

This team puts their money where their heart is, too!  Each team member has contributed personal funds that will be matched from the team kitty, with the total being donated to a charity benefitting the winning door’s cause.  The winner was determined in a true Project Management process.  A number of guest judges were given a spreadsheet of judging criteria for the door decorations along with a quantified range of scores to ensure the very best results.  And the winner is . . . 

Congratulations to La'Quan Blount-Dinkins for her winning door using a Grinch theme to highlight the cause of seasonal depression and alcohol abuse.  La'Quan is the newest member of Team PMO, actually reporting for duty with everything needed to complete her prize-winning door on her very first day on the job! She is a DUI class instructor on weekends, so this cause personally resonates with La'Quan, but each one of PMO’s doors has been decorated with both joy and compassion, and each has a unique story behind the chosen cause. Team PMO invites you to stop by to tour their doors in person and would be happy to share the stories behind them.