I love my job, I really do. But sometimes we get so wrapped up in the cerebral that we forget why we do what we do. Events like our recent Purple Act of Kindness remind me why I work in Yahoo! for Good.

My department started Purple Acts of Kindness this spring so we could reach Yahoo!’s local communities with unexpected, generous acts to surprise, delight and, in small ways, make the impossible possible. We’ve committed seven Purple Acts so far, including going on personalized shopping sprees for underprivileged schools in California and India, taking New York City and Los Angeles high-school students to screenings of "An Inconvenient Truth," hosting hundreds of YMCA kids at a San Francisco Giants game, and flying a severely injured veteran to participate in his battalion's homecoming from Iraq. When I told my mom we do these every month, she said they reaffirmed her belief in corporations… I think it’s because this is the only part of my job she actually understands.

Our latest Purple Act was for the Bayview Hunters Point Center for Arts and Technology (BAYCAT), a nonprofit that teaches art and technology to underserved youth and adults (ages 13 to 24) in one of San Francisco’s toughest neighborhoods. BAYCAT’s goal is to educate, empower, and employ its students. This summer, 50 of them got free training in video production, animation, and graphic design, resulting in creative productions that examined everything from social justice to images in the media.

After learning BAYCAT was staging a graduation ceremony, our Purple Acts team descended on the center to transform the event into a mini-Oscars. We erected a white-and-purple balloon arch, poured flutes of sparkling cider, and laid out platters of elegant hors d’oeuvres. Students and families expecting a casual affair instead found themselves walking a glamorous red carpet into an evening celebrating their talents. Knowing how kids these days love the bling bling (well… me too), we gave each of them a blinking flower lei and sunglasses to up the cool factor.

And it didn’t end there. As no awards show is complete without a “schwag bag,” we handed out art supplies, cameras, and picture frames to help maintain artistic inspiration. But we saved our biggest surprise for BAYCAT itself: two professional-quality SLR digital cameras and a color photo printer! The program director actually fell to his knees in gratitude.

At show time, you could just feel the pride. I don’t think any of us expected the energy and inspiration of the students' productions. We all laughed hysterically over “Flip the Script," a video demonstrating what would happen if gender stereotyping was reversed. Just picture it: young men imitating hoochy mama moves while auditioning for a dance video before leering female music executives. Another personal favorite was a mock news broadcast with headlines like “White kids’ test scores are plummeting” and “Income levels of blacks continue to rise.” It really made you think.

During the presentation, BAYCAT CEO Villy Wang asked the students how the program had influenced their lives. One answer summed it all up: “No matter how small you are, you always have a voice.”

I left with my blinking lei and a reminder that perhaps Yahoo! for Good focuses on helping communities. But that day the community helped me remember why I love my job. I get to interact with real people doing really cool things in amazing organizations. And I can make a big impact. In a way, we all can, right?

Erin Carlson
Senior Manager, Yahoo! For Good