Renovating Homes, Rebuilding Lives

At Publicis Health, public service and supporting the people and communities where we live and work are essential tenets of what we believe. April is National Volunteer Month, an opportunity for each of us to give back in ways big and small. Throughout April, we’re happy to share volunteer stories of team members from across Publicis Health.

Kara Dugan (She/Her), President, Razorfish Health, shares her experiences renovating homes in rural West Virginia.

Tell us a bit about your volunteering work …

Last summer, my 16-year-old son and I volunteered in West Virginia. We spent the week renovating dilapidated homes owned by families coping with the harsh realities of rural poverty. 

Where did you spend your volunteer day?

Rowlesburg, West Virginia.   

How did you get involved with your volunteer organization?

Through our church.

What have you learned from your volunteering experience?

“Efficiency isn’t the only objective.” That was the guidance our team leader gave us during my volunteer trip in Appalachia. After meeting our West Virginia family, I realized the purpose of our trip was greater than fixing leaky roofs and building wheelchair ramps. It was to slow down and listen to the challenges of others and reflect with gratitude on all that we have. In the middle of a job, inevitably one of the children would ask to play, so I told my team to “take five.” It was in those five minutes that the real building happened. We built memories and connections with our family that my son and I will never forget. And despite all those five-minute breaks, the work got done.