Lauren Smith works at Allegis Group Services as the Communications Manager responsible for communicating and executing internal communication strategies. Lauren started her career with Allegis Group Services in 2007 as...
Kunal Gill, Program Manager for the Allianz and Blue Shield of CA programs, traveled with Sten Johnson, Implementation Specialist, to Hyderabad, India on December 3rd to assist in growing AGS’ Microsoft India operations. They were warmly welcomed by the AGS India Talent Source Team – Divakar, Sonal, Rineesh, Shruti, Jay, Sahana and Suresh.
For Kunal, a 3-year veteran of AGS, it was amazing to see and feel AGS’ global reach. “Just a couple of years ago, I was at the US Talent Source office in Kirkland, WA as an Acquisition Specialist sitting side-by-side with Sten and here we were working together again, but this time on the other side of the world.” Both Kunal and Sten believed it showcased a great sign of AGS’ fast international growth and a strong indication of our worldwide presence.
Kunal’s parents were both born and raised in India and it has always been a goal of his to help out underprivileged children in India as there is a significant amount of young children living in severe circumstances. On the first weekend of the business trip, Kunal headed to the local market to buy some souvenirs for his family and saw several young children on the side of the road – homeless; some without clothes. He returned to his hotel and asked if they could help him facilitate getting these kids some food and water. The hotel recommended he visit a local orphanage instead.
Empowered to help these kids out, Kunal rented a car for the day, stopped at the grocery store and purchased fruit, water, candy, bread and several large bags of rice and flour. From there, Kunal was
taxied to an orphanage about 30 kilometers away. As his taxi approached, around 20 kids came running up, knocking on the windows and giving him “thumbs up”. When he exited the car, the kids were very friendly and excited to have a guest visit them. The great people that run the orphanage had the kids congregate in the cafeteria where Kunal was able to provide about 80 boys and girls with an afternoon meal. Kunal remarked “There is no better feeling than providing for kids who don’t know when their next meal is coming.” After the meal, they took the remaining bags of rice and flour out of the car and put them in the storage area. “I thought it was great that when I was pulling the bags out of the car, the kids would run up to help.”
This special moment shared with such loving and grateful children made Kunal’s trip especially amazing. Not only was he able to gain a new, invaluable experience by supporting one of AGS’ global accounts, he was able to understand how great it feels to be able to give back. He told the kids that he hopes to be able to come back and do more the next time. “When I was asked about the unique opportunity of being able to assist our international team, I never imagined how much I would have learned and experienced both inside and outside of work.”
Kunal has a few more days left before he comes home, so this weekend Kunal, Jay and Suresh are returning to another orphanage, one that is focused on taking in children ages 3 – 13 years that are found in the streets without parents. If you like, you may contact Kunal to either wish him well this weekend, or if you feel compelled, to offer to contribute to the food, clothing and supplies that Kunal and team will be taking to the orphanage. Thank you for all that you’ve done Kunal and Sten – what a heartwarming story of grace and compassion to inspire others during the holiday season!